


Set Fire to the Rain

by Book_of_Kells



Series: There are many paths to tread [4]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Explicit Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-02-28 16:09:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2738696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Book_of_Kells/pseuds/Book_of_Kells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Legolas is a mess. Exiled from his home until he produces a child, he is ordered to marry a woman he barely knows. But things do not always work out the way they are supposed to, or the way that his father demands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Sitting on the dock of the bay_ ….

Legolas staggered into the study, humming the blasted song as the heavy crystal glass banged into the doorjamb as he passed. The good bourbon sloshed on the Turkish carpet as well as his black suit, creating a dark stain. It was a sucky night, he thought. It sucked, it sucked and didn’t bother to swallow. Like a Vegas showgirl, he thought with a sneer. The morose shit was eating him alive, one healthy bite at a time. Considering how drunk or high he was most of the time, neither drug managed to keep the self loathing at bay.

_He was an exile._

Aranel Elven, another Berkeley grad a year ahead of Legolas, was hosting the fraternity party at his Painted Lady in Pacific Heights. He was quite proud of the acquisition, giving parties at the drop of a hat. His wife didn’t mind, she had her own interests to feed during these little gatherings. But showing up stoned out of his mind was not allowed, not by genteel society. So Legolas had to wait patiently for the large amounts of alcohol to click off the endless monorail of memories that coming to San Francisco had not changed.

Sigmas alum frat parties were for anyone who had been accepted after making it through the hazing. Legolas was such an alum, so was his father. Sindarins had been Sigmas since coming to Berkeley, all of them had taken a turn as President of the Alumni association at some point. It was an excellent place to make new deals, reestablish old ties or strengthen their standing. Tonight, well tonight had not gone as planned.

Aranel was the current president, who had never quite gotten past his college days. Oh, he was a successful banker in a time when money and greed were nasty bad words, but he still lived life like there was a keg stand around the next corner. Once Legolas had moved back to the Sindarin house in Russian Hill, Aranel had been the first person he had called. Not out of friendship because that would be too strong a word for what they were, but out of genuine hope to forget the woman Legolas had left in New Hampshire and the one being rammed down his throat in California.

Thranduil’s choice was a nice girl, great breeding, long legs with good capped teeth. She had regular physicals so he might assume that she was capable of bearing children. She might as well be a horse for all the description that Thranduil had given him. Good education, finishing schools in southern France, cooking school in Paris. She had been trained from birth to be an exceptional wife, nothing else. Legolas hated her on the spot.

Tauriel occupied his mind in the waking moments between hungover and fully baked. Thranduil had drugged his water that night after the Mirkwood invasion, putting Legolas on a plane with two bodyguards. It was only after when he awoke did the guilt shatter him like a pane of glass, with each fragment ripping his soul in two. He had not meant to shoot her, he had been aiming for the black haired bastard. Maybe? His rage that night made the events a bit hazy around the edges. But she had saved him, stepped in front of his arrow as a shield. _For Love_. Why? How could she love the Durin’s trash and not him?

Tauriel kept her secrets too though everyone in Mirkwood had been speculating for months on her love life. Legolas remembered her being distant or suddenly always gone. It had been hard for him, trying not to crowd her, to push her to open up to him as they did when they were children. She had not chosen him in the end, obviously for the best considering their circumstances. But telling Thranduil about seeing her and that Durin’s trash on a bench at the Hallowsfest had been a grievous mistake. One of many it seems.

Maybe Tauriel didn’t love him the way he had dreamed because she was his illegitimate half sister? Had she known the truth where he had not? Thranduil had an aneurysm on the phone when Legolas had asked him, sputtering like an old chevy before changing the subject. Everyone has secrets, Thranduil had tried to hide his the best way he could. Running to the other side of the country had not buried what had started in San Francisco, his father should have known better than that. Too many people knew and still talked with the right incentive.

Several of his mother’s family had told him about Thranduil’s affair once Legolas had ensconced himself in town. They had never forgiven his father for his actions as well as Legolas’ mother’s suicide. It was quite acceptable amongst their set to have a mistress but it was bad manners to leave your wife for her, pregnant or not. Then to add to the embarrassment, Thranduil had chased his slut across the country to New Hampshire, trying to get her back. The woman’s name had been Silvan.

Legolas had raged at his cousins for days, demanding to know why no one had mentioned this before now. The excuses had been just that, excuses. They had not wanted to get involved too directly, they thought he knew because it wasn’t a secret here in California, they were scared of Thranduil while they hated him. It made Legolas want vomit all the bullshit lies they told.

Legolas dropped a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue to a Queen Anne table with a thunk, hopefully denting the wood. He swiped it from the gleaming wet bar by the window before taking a chair by the fireplace. Aranal had hid the good Glenmorangie somewhere but he wasn’t in a hunting mood. Slouching in his seat in the study, Legolas reflected on the next problem on his horizon. Tonight had proved that fate was a heartless bitch with an evil twisted sense of humor. He had fallen in love with a half sister, shot her in the back but that wasn’t enough. He had come face to face with one of the Durin’s trash way out here in San Francisco.

One of the black bastard’s cousins, Gimli, had been a freshman pledge to Sigma at Berkeley. He had made it through hell week with flying colors, a feat unheard of for an eighteen year old kid, garnering fame along the way. The chapter’s president loved him, couldn’t stop talking about him. An engineering major with ties to a high producing gem mine, they all wanted to hear about his childhood. Had he used the rubies and other gems for marbles? Legolas wanted to run him over with his Cayenne.

The introductions had been tense, each man knowing the other, maybe not all the history but enough to know that an enemy was in the room. One of the blond call girls that Aranel had hired for entertainment had wiggled past on mile high stilts, taking Gimli along with her. It had broken the tense moment of who could outstare who, but the night wasn’t over and Legolas started mainlining single malt.

He knew how the game was played on this side of the world. There was no reason to draw more attention to the little piece of shit than necessary but he was going to have to go. Legolas would have to take it slow, make little comments that cut into the runt’s popularity. Gimli might look the part, dressed in Brooks Brothers with a white silk shirt that highlighted his russet beard and dark eyes. The charcoal grey of the suit cut nicely across his wide shoulders, obviously tailored.

If Legolas was exiled to the coast until he bred up the next generation, he wouldn’t spend it looking at that mountain goat! Better Gimli slink off now, than get a foothold and have to be wedged out like a splinter. Reaching beside him where he placed the bottle of Johnny Blue, Legolas topped off his glass.

The door opened on his left side, the soft click of it closing didn’t stir him. The alcohol was much more interesting. “Well, look who it is.” A disembodied voice bounced from the walls.

“Yes, look who it is.” Legolas, half drunk didn’t bother to look up at the visitor. He didn’t care at this point to engage here and now.

“Tell me, is it guilt that makes you drown in booze for almost killing my cousin? Or trying to fuck your sister?” Gimli stalked out of the shadows, his whole body rigid with anger.

Legolas chuckled at the boy’s words right before he threw the tumbler at him. Then a magazine and a humidor. Staggering out of the chair, he took a drunken swing at the shorter man to no avail. The room spun like a tilt-a-whirl as Legolas found himself slammed face down on a card table in the center of the room. Gimli had simply batted his punch away, planting him face first on the polished wood. Hitching his arm behind his back, Gimli leaned forward using his solid bulk to hold Legolas in place.

“Now, let’s review. You tried to kill my cousin but shot your sister instead. The sister you have been trying to bang for like ever, right?” Gimli chuckled at his own dry wit.

Legolas struggled trying to use his hips and lower spine to push heavier man off him, but the alcohol didn’t help. “I didn’t know she was my sister until three weeks ago. Get off me!”

“Now, now. Hold still. We don’t want you to get hurt, little princeling. Granted I have seen her, she’s a knockout, _your sister_. But in the end, she ran after the Durin’s Folk boys!” Gimli cackled as Legolas started to struggle. “Must have liked what she got, to keep coming back for more!”

“Maybe. Maybe she felt pity. I seem to remember Durin’s folk will fuck even their cousins. I think his name is Ori? He must be a friend of yours considering the way you are rubbing your cock on me!” Legolas still struggled to get loose but the hold on his arm was solid. The rub of the kid’s erection burned across his buttocks.

“You are the one grinding on me, little princeling.” Legolas snarled at Gimli’s words though his tone had gotten husky in the last few minutes.

“Oh really? You’re the one with the hard dick, little man or are you smuggling salami in your pants!” Legolas bucked again, using his left arm to try to push off the table again. Nausea churned in his alcohol filled gut at the sudden movements, making his wish he sampled the buffet before taking up residence at the bar.

There was a space between his hips and the edge, Legolas managed to put more distance for leverage forcing Gimli to take a step back. He felt something, indistinguishable at first due to the warm breath on the back of his neck, distracting him. It was a hand, Legolas realized, a hand that rubbing against his cock through his pants.

“My cock might be hard, but it isn’t alone. Is it, Mr. Sindarin?” Gimli’s words were rushed as he used the heel of his palm, rubbing hard against Legolas’ groin. His own wide hips stroked up and down the back of Legolas’ thighs.

“What are you doing?!” Legolas gasped as a tingling sensation rippled up his spine.

“Tell me to stop and I will.” Gimli cupped Legolas’ balls, rolling them deftly along his fingers with the dexterity of a trumpet player. Legolas moaned softly, it was more than he had ever felt during intercourse, and they were both fully clothed!

Arousal warmed him, raced through his body harder than the whiskey. Legolas felt his knees bend of their own accord so that he could get closer to the boy behind him. The thick fingers had stopped their play, now they grabbed his balls firmly in a tight squeeze. Legolas had stopped fighting, he didn’t want Gimli to let go. His cock was harder than steel now, but it was a lack of sober coordination that kept him from taking it out. Thoughts blinked in and out like a traffic light as Legolas stained against the shorter man behind him. Solid. Need him. Cock. Gimli continued to grind down at Legolas’s ass, the murmur of the material sliding was lost as the two men panted their excitement.

As suddenly as it started, Gimli released him and stepped away. Legolas flopped on the table, a whine escaping him before he could stop it. There was so much desire cutting him apart, he had no idea what to do but lay there in a puddle. He heard the door slam open as Gimli snarled out of the room, his heavy foot falls walking away.


	2. A Rose Garden Filled With Thorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a world where carpenters get resurrected, anything is possible.
> 
> A Lion in Winter....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to a vicious email (Yes, I am calling you out! * Evil cackle cackle...) I wasn't clear on my timeline. Im Bound To You ends mid November just before thanksgiving, their last chapter is set in Mid December. Set Fire to the Rain starts just before the last chapter of IB2U and stretches the 3 months until the beginning of The Road Goes Ever On with overlaps at the beginning and ends. I do apologize for my sloppy post. I can only say that I was sleep deprived..(really sleep deprived. Thorin is keeping me up at night.)

“Lindir! What a surprise!” Legolas exclaimed as he clasped the darker man’s hand. “What are you doing here?”

“Legolas! Elrond sent me to take care a few investments. I had heard you relocated to San Fran for a while. Its been ages since I have seen you in Rivendell. I think the last time was when you and..” Lindir’s mouth closed with an audible snap. His eyes widened a bit as a pink stain crepted across his cheeks.

He knows, Legolas thought, he knows about Tauriel. Trying to stave off the uncomfortable broken silence that he knew was coming, Legolas pulled the young lady beside him closer. “Lindir, I am pleased to introduce Pennastan Elven. Penny, this a friend of mine from New Hampshire, Lindir Singer.”

Penny reached past Legolas to take Lindir’s hand with a smile. “Very nice to meet you.”

The red silk dress was a bold choice but Penny had an eye for style that was unmatched. She looked stunning tonight with the column sheath hugging her figure. To wear red or green to a Christmas party might be considered a cliché but it was a party after all. She had twisted red and silver wire into the bun at her nape to hold back her dark brown hair, even going so far as to stack red and silver garland up the long length of her neck. The tinseled material highlighted the pale glow of her skin most appealingly. Very bold.

Legolas plastered a smile on his face, trying to enjoy himself and the woman at his side. Lindir chatted with Penny about an article in the paper about tourists both of them breaking into laughter. Aranel raised his glass a short distance away in a mocking toast to him but the blond only nodded his acknowledgement. His alum chum had been so pleased when he had been told of Legolas’ interest in his cousin. A union between the Elven and Sindarin families would the wedding of the year! The excitement was palpable every time his buddy was around them tonight.

But Legolas didn’t feel it, no anxiety or joy. He moved through the crowds of people with all the motivation of a sleepwalker. It felt like his recent excesses had burned away his emotions. With the responses and platitudes on automatic, he watched the people dancing around the room in a delightful symmetry of artificial exuberance. The fake laughs, fake smiles. Appearances. Appearances. Air kisses to a heavily collagened cheek. The Sigmas and their wives, the business associates who might not be Sigma but were in their own way up to snuff. He was so bored with all of the compost heaps in the room.

Legolas had stopped everything after the last Alum party. No drugs, heavy or light and definitely no booze, the bends had been bothersome but necessary. He really wanted to blame that bodily reaction on his little chemical buddies but that would be a lie and he was done lying to himself. The half mast chubby he had been carrying around in his trousers every time he thought about that night didn’t lie either. The shame of jacking himself off in the shower was minimal due the person’s name on his lips when he came. _Gimli_.

He was a boy, an eighteen year old boy. One of a dozens that Legolas passed during his average day to day. So what made him so special? Was it because he was from near Mirkwood? They knew people in common? Had he become so homesick for the familiar trees of the Greenwood that he turned to anything that reminded him of his family? Had he fallen so far from himself that he wanted to fuck a boy instead of the woman he now knew was his sister? It was a hallmark movie with hideous ending! Or worse a reality tv show!

Legolas had found himself picking up the phone a few times to call Tauriel. Not for the obvious reason to apologize because he honestly didn’t know where to start with that, no. It was as if he saw her as a life line to keep himself from drowning. Tauriel and he had always been close, a comfort on the lonely nights of their childhood. It was a hard thing to realize years later that she had been his only true friend. If there was one thing he needed right now was a person who knew him well enough to help make sense of everything that was happening.

Legolas left Penny talking to Lindir with a kiss on the cheek as he made his way to the restroom, needing a moment to compose himself. His solicitousness only got him so far with Lindir who watched their exchange with a smile. Topics would eventually turn to things he wanted to ignore, Smaug, Mirkwood. Legolas wasn’t concerned either about what they were discuss while he was away. Singer was a lot of things but a gossip he was not. The lapsed comment earlier could be blamed on the champagne he was consuming, not out of a need to be vicious.

Since his steady diet of liquor had ended, rehydrating had been his number priority. Legolas took a bottle of water from one of the side bars as he passed. Lighted green garland with inserted dark white and blood red poinsettia leaves spiraled down the massive columns, giving off more light themselves than the chandeliers. The party was being held at the Bentley Reserve, old money screamed for the opulence. What better place for old money to feel safe but at the Federal Reserve Bank?

There had been tables scattered at opposite corners with conversation lounges in the others. A long hors d’oeurve tables had been nestled in the sides past the bars, separated by their weight of their ingredients. The lighter fare had been set up one table that was good for a napkin while the heavier stuff had glass plates. A platoon of tartan vested waitstaff stood discreetly in the shadows or threaded themselves tactfully amongst the revelers. Poinsettias bouquets decorated the Christmas trees at the end of the tables pairing nicely with the life sized nutcrackers. Legolas twinked one of the noses of the tall wooden men on the way.

Legolas’ head bobbled a little to the rock music echoing in the tall expanse of the hall though without much rhythm. He scooted around conversation groups, smiling and shaking hands with a few to keep up the lie that he was having a wonderful time. A large band had been set up on the second floor balcony that where comprised of electric guitars, cellos and violins for a varied selection of music. It was a blowout for the Sigmas, once more their name would be heralded as a trendsetter amongst the elite of the state.

_Appearances, Appearances…._

The restrooms were located on each floor but needing the break, he choose the one in the basement. The tiled floor reflected the brass wall sconces in their high glossy surface as he took the wide stairs down to the bottom level. The poinsettia theme continued out here away from the party with drapes of white and red around each light. Whomever had been hired to decorate for the party had spared no expense, thinking of each and every possible avenue that a guest might use outside of the main hall. There were three foot nutcrackers in the corners alternating with poinsettia trees in creamy white and burgundy. The red ones were so dark in the highly polished floor, there reflections looked like puddles of blood.

He chuckled humorlessly at the male and female nutcracker signs for the segregated restrooms. It was the kind of little touches that separated the good from the best in the party planner business. Legolas reminded himself to get a name before he left tonight in case he had a need. Thranduil’s last email two days ago had bitched in the extreme that Legolas had not planned a party at Sindarin House. How was Legolas supposed to exert his dominance in the San Francisco social scene if he didn’t host parties?

The bathrooms themselves were stately functional with swathes of plaid hanging from the light fixture like a highland starburst. There were stacks of red, green and plaid paper napkins by the sinks. The restroom on the main level had an attendant available but not down here or probably at the second story. Just as well, Legolas thought, he really didn’t want to make small talk with anyone. Just take a breather before getting diving back into the holiday spirit that was slowly chopping his humanity into kindling.

He finished up in the sink as the door opened behind him, a shadow stretching across the golden tile. The faint echoes of Pachelbel’s Canon drifted in the open door, a violin leading the set. Tauriel had loved the Canon, Legolas thought with a smile. The beauty of the music was uplifting, giving the listener hope for a brighter new year. Tauriel and he had both loved music but didn’t play an instrument, having spent so much time at swordplay. It was a shame really.

“Enjoying the party, Mr. Sindarin?” A voice asked from the corner by the door, the same voice that reverberated in his head when he came in the shower. Legolas froze like mouse before a hungry cat despite his penis giving an involuntary jerk.

“I had thought you would have left town by now. Exams were finished by Wednesday.” It was the only reason he had come tonight, thinking that Gimli had flown out east. Legolas refused to look up as he methodically dried his hands, then his fingers and nails.

“I have an afternoon flight, tomorrow. My dad knows that I was coming to the party tonight… to further relationships.” The shadow moved as Gimli walked into view by the side wall off Legolas’ right shoulder. “Are your hands dry enough yet?”

Legolas stopped the meticulous cleaning under his nails, staring at his hands with a sigh. His heart pounded in his ears heavier than a bass drum from the excitement of Gimli being close. Why? Was this happening to him now? Viciously, h balled up the used paper towels, tossing them into the trash. He couldn’t do this, not now, not tonight with Penny upstairs!

Legolas walked passed him, or tried too. Gimli grabbed his arm in a firm grip, trying to stop him but Legolas was quick. Flipping his arm under Gimli’s grip, he used his other hand to push up on the redhead’s elbow. Had Gimli been taller, it would have worked but almost a full foot shorter with a lower center of gravity, he stepped back to push Legolas against the wall. Using his heavier bulk again, he held his prisoner in that position.

“I just want to talk.” Gimli grunted as he pinned Legolas at the waist. “You’re sober this time, so it will be more articulate.”

“We have nothing to say to each other! Let go of me!” Legolas snarled down at the man who held him, his face a handful of inches away.

“Fine.” Gimli let go of the man only to reach up to pull his lips to his.

For a moment, Legolas was stunned, unresponsive. He had never kissed a man on the mouth, the texture that should have been too different had fireworks going off in his crotch. The brush of Gimli’s beard on his smooth cheeks and lips was so alien but felt so good too. Arousal shivered at his nerve endings, his fingers clenching Gimli’s shoulders tightly. The smaller man swept the flat surface of his tongue over Legolas’ lips asking for entry.

Legolas opened his mouth wide for him, tongues colliding with a moan. His cock went from interested to eager in under a second, so fast that he wiggled his hips to further the sensation. There could be no excuses for this, no rationale for the actions. Gimli hugged him tight, grabbing his ass to pull him closer. Legolas moaned again at the feel of those thick fingers on his body.

It was probably seconds but it felt like hours. The two of them together, the sounds of their desperation in such constricted areas, it was like a porn flick was being filmed. Legolas wanted him, wanted so much to feel where it could lead, he gave up for a moment. Once he let go, a sweet buzz of excitement raced along his skin leaving gooseflesh its wake. A whole new world opened to him in that moment as if it had been waiting in the wings for him to see and pay attention.

The door opened to loud shouting as two men groused in the doorway about the government shutdown. It was enough time for Legolas to shove Gimli away and grab his water. He didn’t make eye contact but was at the door in a flash, laughingly growling his opinion to the men as his passed them.

He left Gimli in the restroom and didn’t look back. Legolas took the stairs two at a time, practically leaping the last of the way. He had to go, he had to find Penny. He could still taste the boy’s kiss on his lips, the stroke of his bristles on his skin. His cock was so hard, it felt like he was smuggling a pipe in his pants. Thank god he went for cranberry pleats tonight.

He was a craven to run, Thranduil would have beaten him with a stick for his cowardice. His father would have drawn his sword if he found out about the rest! There was no real choice in the end. It might be San Francisco after all but two men kissing in their social set was still grounds for being ejected. Homophobes held the keys which made them the de facto gatekeepers. What a man might did with his gardener was one thing, what he did at hosted Christmas party was something else entirely.

Legolas could feel a bit of sweat on his brow as he frantically searched for Penny. Spotting her bold red dress, proved more difficult than he imagined with all of the vermillion splashes in the great hall. He wove through the tables, scanning until he found her with a flute of champagne talking to Aranel’s wife. Penny looked festive, while her cousin’s wife in her gray velvet looked cold, remote. The difference in the two women were as night to day.

Why could he not love her? He thought not for the first time since becoming sobor. She was so pretty, with a pretty smile. Penny was a good person as far as he knew but deep down, Legolas resented her because he had no choice in their situation. It never occurred to him to fight his father, to try and have his own life. Every part of him was wired to be a good son, which meant doing what he was told. As he made his way to the lady in red, Legolas wondered how hard it had been for Tauriel to walk away.  

Finishing off his water, Legolas placed the empty bottle on a nearby table that was being quietly cleaned. With a nod to the staff, he joined Penny as she laughed at something the other woman said. With a polite request, he spun her out to the dance floor as the band started to play a booming rendition of “O Holy Night.” His hand on her waist, Legolas guided her through the steps in a slow sweeping waltz that made her smile. She was warm and alive in his arms but it just wasn’t enough.

At the outer edges of the dancing couples, Legolas twirled his partner into a spectacular spin. His lips tugged into a grin as dipped her slowly, making her laugh. As he righted her, Legolas saw Gimli lounging against a column not far away. The flush that slid up his neck made the little asshole smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thank you most sincerely for reading.. I am a big fan of Tolkien's Gateway. It is cute with nice pics, better detailed explanations on other sites.. but I digress, Lindir according to T/G means singer. I thought that it would be nice as a surname so there you go..


	3. Would things be easier if there was a right way?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies  
> I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife  
> Offer me that deathless death  
> Good God, let me give you my life
> 
> ~ Hozier - Take me to Church ~

Gimli found himself thinking about Einstein as he stood outside Sindarin House in the frigid December weather. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. Well, Gimli knew he wasn’t Einstein and what he was doing was clearly insane.

Twice, he had hit on the little princeling only to end up with a case of blue balls the first time, probably another round if he didn’t find some relief. The first time, well Gimli couldn’t blame that on the object of his affection. Legolas had been hammered, which raised all sorts of warning flags if Gimli had continued. So he had left the room, left Legolas spread out on the table, gasping his need like a virgin on prom night. It had been hard to pull back, even harder to leave. In the week that followed, he had thought to hear something from the blonde pantywaist but nothing, not a word. Unable to leave it alone, Gimli made the decision to come to the party for a little chat.

There had been no excuses tonight, he wasn’t drunk or stoned. Fully aware and fully conscious, Legolas had responded in the end with no reservations. Had he said no, had he pulled back even the slightest, Gimli would have dropped it and let him be. He wasn’t a rapist, wasn’t sure he could ever get that far with Legolas. The man was a fighter, had been all his life. Drunk, he was uncoordinated but still deadly.

As Gimli climbed the stairs to ring the doorbell, he remembered the Sigma party in Pacific Heights with crystal clarity. He had not walked into the room with sexual intentions, basically it was to deliver a well deserved ass kicking. The words Gimli had thrown at him had been meant to provoke a fight, pushing at points that would hurt him. Legolas had tried to kill his cousin, beaten Kili before that. Family was family and nobody manhandles the Durinsons. Holding down the flailing intoxicated man had been a cake walk, but his body’s reaction to the Sindarin under him had been well, a surprise.

The deep breath exhaled into the night sent white clouds of carbon dioxide floating on the wind as he stood at the stoop, finger posed. Nerves jangled a little, what if Legolas had brought his woman home with him? He thought back for a few seconds, at their interaction at the party. Stiff, formal, no casual touching. Nope, Leg hadn’t made like a frog and hopped her yet, so it was doubtful she was upstairs astride the tall blonde at this moment.

Gimli’s arm would have a bruise tomorrow from Legolas’ fingers, hopefully that mark would have friends. His trouser snake poked his head up at the street his thoughts had taken. Memory Lane is very powerful to the trouser snake. The passion Legolas had exuded blew his world apart, so much fire under that cold exterior. Legolas had wanted him, wanted him badly. Some things can not be faked, especially where two men are attracted to the other. It would take work but Gimli was a Durinson after all. Durinsons lived for the difficult.

Pressing the lighted button before he lost the will to do so, the bell bellowed through the house like something out of the Hunchback. Green street was quiet tonight but at a little past midnight most areas were quiet. The million dollar homes lined the steep avenue in varying style, most built after the 1906. The city had survived fires, earthquakes, plagues but its architecture in the high class areas remained the same. Sindarin House was one of the unchanged, its dark green Victorian façade blending in the night.

The door swung open to revel Legolas in gray silk pajamas. The low lights bathed him in a lovely glow, almost ethereal in his beauty. It was the brutal that fate could make one man be so fair. Gimli could feel his cock rise in his pants as they stared at one another. Finally, Legolas spun on a heel, leaving the door open as he walked away not saying a word. Well, Gimli thought as he followed as closed the front door, this is a fine start.

Legolas moved through the grand parlor as he headed for a wet bar built into a rounded niche. His bare feet slapped the cold parquet floor as he strode quickly away. The room was decorated in hardwoods coupled with creams and burgundies, made sense considering that is how the family made their paper. Legolas picked up a spun glass decanter in one hand and a tumbler in the other. Gimli divested himself his coat before he was asked. He had every intention to staying a while. The sound of the amber liquid hitting the glass pissed him off to no end.

Gimli’s voice ricocheted across the room like a gun shot. “Don’t do that… please. I would rather you were sober.”

“I assure you, I would rather not.” Legolas filled the glass as Gimli sighed, walking slowly.

“Dutch courage? Very fitting.” Gimli strolled to the bay window as the decanter was slammed down on the wood. “Careful. You don’t want to break that, Mr. Sindarin.”

“What do you want?” He flung the words like razors, snarling but not with much heat.

Gimli looked out the glass in front of him to the city beyond, passed the lacy pillow clogged window seat. Breathing in and out of his nose to keep from hyperventilating, he crossed his thick arms with a sigh. He carried the weight of his inexperience like stones around his neck. Gimli had not given it a second thought that he would come to Legolas’ house after watching him leave the party. He had not bothered to change clothes, just waited an hour before coming here.

Now, came the hard part of this endeavor. How could he convince Legolas to sleep with him? The guy had more barriers than Fort Knox! Gimli wasn’t sure that he had ever been with another man, never one from Erebor for all his talk about Ori. Legolas joined him at the window seat, staring at him as he drank a bottle of water. He has such fine lips, Gimli thought, smiling at the bottle. The taste of those lips had made him moan, their soft feel could be addictive.

“I want you.” Gimli told him simply, being blunt was the only way to get through this.

“You are just a boy.” Legolas sneered but his nose widened as breathed deep himself.

“In some ways. What did you have in mind?” Gimli’s lips quirked into a half smile, hoping the banter would lighten him up.

“I am not into children.” Legolas scoffed, turning to stare out at the city laid before them.

“I stop being a child on my last birthday. Does the skin on your stomach feel so soft?’ Gimli asked as he touched the hand beside him.

Legolas reacted violently, yanking away to almost run to the couches on the other side. Gimli felt as if he were stalking the male, running him to ground. Arousal coursed in his veins like a delicious wine as he followed. The fact that Legolas ran, instead of shoving him out the door gave him hope. There was a small amount of anger and fear tightening his quarry’s face as he took a seat on the deep lushness of the burgundy sofa.

“This isn’t who I am!” The blond shouted from his perch, his avian green eyes watchful.

“It was last week. It _was_ earlier tonight.” Gimli watched his hands for weapons, those eyes for intent.

He is afraid, Gimli thought as he followed, his ardor cooling at the sight. Seeing his face, Legolas drew up his legs as if to make himself defensive, like an attack was eminent.   Gimli slowed his pace, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture. He didn’t want him to be afraid, he wanted him aroused. He wanted the blonde to want him back.

“Tell me to leave and I will. I won’t force you.” Taking a seat on the coffee table in front of the tall man, Gimli carefully put a hand on Legolas’ foot. “Tell me you don’t want me. Tell me you don’t want me as I want you.”

“You are a Durinson.” Legolas spoke quietly. “Why would want me that way?”

“Who we are, it doesn’t always control what we want.” Gimli didn’t look at him as he rubbed circles up the pale flesh of the ankle. It was soothing or Legolas would have yanked away again.

“You are supposed to hate me. I beat your cousin, remember?” Legolas was grasping at straws by now, anything to make Gimli stop, instead of asking him to leave.

Gimli was supposed to hate him, all Durinson’s growled at the Sindarin name. Not only for Kili but the continued malice that they were subjected too by the Mirkwood organization. As if because the Erebor people grew beards, rode motorcycles and worked with their hands, they were somehow less. Gimli didn’t want to think about what his father would say if he knew. He would never convince them that the need cutting him was more than just a teenage rebellion, a passing phase.

“While we are on the subject, was that your idea or your father’s?” Gimli could see the answer on the other man’s face but wanted him to say the words. “Legolas?”

“It doesn’t matter, now.” Legolas looked away, lost in thought. “That shit is in New Hampshire where I left it that night.”

“If it doesn’t matter, let it go.” Gimli’s hand slid up the pants leg to the calf, stroking the skin. The Blond’s eyes fluttered as his lips parted. “Stop being passive aggressive. It doesn’t suit.”

Gimli eased off the table, the wood made a slight groan when it was relieved of his weight. Going to his knees in front of Legolas, he allowed his hand to continue to the back of the knee and brush the sensitive skin. His other hand began a similar quest up the other pants leg, pushing the silk up as he went. There was fine dusting of hair on the lower legs that Gimli could see, pale like the hair on his head. Gimli had a wild urge to lick that pale leg hair and nibble on his knobby kneecaps.

Legolas laid his head back, his breathing shallow as Gimli went further up those long legs. He closed his eyes, permitting the impromptu massage. Gimli could see his erection beginning to tent the silk, swaying like a ferret under a sheet. His own cock was so hard, it ached in time with his heartbeat.

Taking a chance, Gimli leaned forward to nuzzle Legolas’ groin, rubbing his face against the silk. He heard the gasp above him but didn’t stop, not when he was so close. Gimli withdrew his hands out of the pants legs as he sat back on his heels, using them to knead the ball sack and cock through the material. Legolas moaned deeply as he bucked his hips against the hands on his body.

“Legolas. I am going to take your cock out now.” Gimli explained slowly. “I am going to suck and lick it until you come in my mouth.”

Desperately slow like he had all the time in the world, Gimli untied the drawstring at the waist to glide the silk from him. It was the hardest thing to go slow, rushing would freak Legolas out more than he was already. Gimli dropped them in a pile by their feet, watching the blonde the whole time. Legolas watched him in turn but didn’t refuse or say stop. His cock was impressive, a darker shade of pale than the rest of his body. It curled backwards to the navel with a large head crowning the top. A single tear seeped from the slit, glistening in the light.

Tired of waiting for the blond to say something, Gimli ran his tongue over the sensitive head, lapping up the moisture. Wrapping his lips around the corona, he sucked hard only to nip at the slit before licking it again. Legolas’ groin was almost hairless, only with the palest wisps on the balls and near the stalk. But the taste, oh Mahal the taste of him was like honey and apples that simmered on a cold day. Gimli tracked the flavor, slipping up and down Legolas’ cock each time to draw more inside his mouth.

He could hear the gasps and groans above him but the taste in his mouth locked his thoughts away. There was a slight tremble in the hips as his hands roved the quivering muscles in his reach. Gimli grabbed the clinched ass cheeks as he deep throated all the way down, remembering to swallow to get past his gag reflex. The hot flesh in his throat made him harder than the coffee table behind him.

There were words but he didn’t understand them, blocking them out completely as he drew hard on the cock in his mouth. It was only when he felt the searching fingers in his hair, tangling in his ruby curls that he look up to Legolas’ face. There was such pleasure on his face as he strained, the cords in his neck bulged as he gasped. Gimli locked eyes with him as Legolas began to fuck his mouth, thrusting quickly as his orgasm neared.

When it hit him, Legolas threw his head on the cushion, pumping his hips wildly. Cum flooded Gimli’s mouth as he licked the head again and again, lapping each drop to swallow quickly. It wasn’t much but it was still ambrosia as far as Gimli cared. The flaccid member slipped from his lips to flop to one side, twitching. The balls that had drawn up so tight under the cock were now loose and swinging with a slightly flushed hue.

“So handsome.” Gimli said as he stroked the taller man’s hips but no further. There would be time for the rest.

It was like training a horse or a dog. Do it slow, get their attention. Done right, you would have a companion not a broken animal. Gimli knew now he had made the right decision to slow things down, not push him like he would a random piece of ass. The blond needed to learn the difference in a good blowjob from a man and a great one from a woman.

Legolas opened his eyes, the glazed look fading away. Gimli sat further back but still ran his hands along the blond’s legs to keep contact with him. It was hard, waiting to see what he would do, boldness would only go so far. The Sindarin slid away from him to another side of the couch before standing upright beside Gimli . His cock hung lower than his shirt, the tip reddened from the attention.

He pulled his silk top over his head, tossing it to the floor with his pants as he met Gimli’s eyes once more. Then he held out his hand. “Come.” Legolas whispered as he took Gimli’s hand, leading him to his bedroom.    


	4. Lovers in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I am what I am  
>  I'll do what I want, but I can't hide  
>  And I won't go, I won't sleep and I can't breathe  
>  Until you're resting here with me
> 
> ~ Dido - Here With Me ~

Legolas led him up the main stairs to the second floor where the bedrooms suites were located. His cock was still semi happy, the tip buzzing from the best blowjob he had ever had. The women how had sucked his cock were good, but Gimli was so much better. In his nude state, he knew there should be all kinds of awkwardness at leading a man to his bedroom but he couldn’t feel that way. He wanted more, more of the feeling that he had with Gimli. The shorter man was his new drug, and he was dying for another hit.

The thick rugs lay everywhere, a buffer to the cool wood floors through the great house. The walls were painted with murals of tasteful woodlands scenes in creamy pastels. They were muted by the heavy dark wood crown molding at the tops, bringing down the look of the cathedral ceilings to a mortal height. The landing had the distinction of a small conversation area at one side, perfect for a tete á tete between husband and wife before retiring to separate beds.

Gimli had said nothing since he had taken off Legolas’ pants. Words were unnecessary, would mess up the flow of his post orgasm chi. Legolas didn’t want to talk, not now, he just wanted to feel. Gimli followed behind him though, like an eager puppy. But he stroked the inside of Legolas’ fingers, a slow rub of his coarse thumb. The idea of those rough hands on his sensitive cock gave him a shiver of anticipation.

“Crap!” Gimli jerked him to a halt as they reached his bedroom suite.

Legolas’ stomach dropped to his ankles as he stood in front of the door. “What’s wrong?”

Please gods, don’t let him have changed his mind! Legolas’ mentally begged as he looked over his shoulder to the man behind him. He was naked as a jaybird, in his house and the mortification of Gimli changing his mind would be extreme. It was a chance he was taking, the idea of giving into his desires, something he wanted, for the first time in his life. He didn’t want it to blow up in his face.

“I forgot something.” He wore a sheepish expression, even blushed a little. Why was _he_ blushing?

“Ok?” Legolas was confused for a moment unsure of what to do from here. If a woman had said that, he would assume that she left her cell downstairs or that her diaphragm was in her coat. What kind of clues and signals does a man expect from another man?

“Is this your room?” The shorter man pointed to the door. Not waiting for an answer, Gimli’s hand shot forward opening the door.

“Yes.” Legolas still had no idea what was happening. “Do you need to go downstairs?”

The indecision was plain on the young man’s face. “No. uh, No. Not yet.”

Gee, that’s helpful, Legolas rolled his eyes as he walked into his bedroom decorated in shades of green and silver. He switched on a standing lamp in the corner as he turned to see what Gimli was doing now. The window shades were drawn cutting down the glare of the bright street lights. The lead paned windows shut out the street noise but since it was after midnight there wasn’t much traffic.

Apparently, opening the door has a literal meaning too. In the expanse of walking three feet, Gimli was out of his shirts, both of them plus the tasteful red Christmas sweater as well as his shoes. The shirts he tossed in a chair beside the lamp while he reached for the belt. The rush of seeing watching him strip did something to Legolas, made him want to touch each layer of skin that came into view. With his tongue. It was more than an urge to taste his skin, it was almost like the natural reflex to breathe.

Legolas stared at the hard six that were the kid’s abs. He didn’t have the eight, only people who worshiped at the gym temple achieved that kind of definition. No, his were from hard work explaining where he gotten the rough hands. Valar, they had felt so good on his legs, on his ass. There was hair though, much more than expected. It was like the guy was still wearing a hair shirt in shades of russet and brown.

“See anything you like, Mr. Sindarin?” His tone was mocking, as was the smile on his face when Legolas looked up at him.

“My name is Legolas. And yes.”   The joking around wasn’t helping his nerves, if anything it make them worse. He has excited and scared all at once.

Gimli looked down Legolas’ body, prompting Legolas to do the same. His cock was hard again, poker stiff from his hips. When had that happened? He palmed his cock, stroking his hand down the length as Gimli watched. It was like he had not cum five minutes ago! Legolas realized he had not had a turn around like this since he was a teenager! He looked across the room at the young man who would be in his bed tonight, the greed on his face was plain in the dimly lit room.

Still jacking his dick, Legolas walked to Gimli as if in a daze. He couldn’t help being drawn the stocky body like a magnet. The hard muscles were so unlike the women of his past, lithesome creatures who were scared of a sandwich. Gimli took off his slacks to lay them with the rest of his clothes, taking care not to get them too rumpled. Legolas traced a finger done the furry chest, wrangling a moan and a gasp. As Legolas rubbed his fingers through the springy chest hair, a hand began to roll his balls, the blunt pads scratching his perineum.

When he reached the band of the black briefs, Legolas noticed the sizable bulge in the front. His hands were braver suddenly than his brain, the finger tips tracing the outline. The Durinson hissed in reaction. He closed his eyes as his hips thrusting up for more friction. Legolas’ gripped his own cock hard as his digits danced their way across the cotton expanse. The hissing turned to growls as Gimli reached up to pull Legolas to him for a kiss, twirling his tongue in his mouth.

“Tease! You know I want you!” Gimli grumbled against his lips, letting go of his balls to pull him close. Their cocks rushed against the others skin, trapped between heated bodies.

Legolas lost time as the kiss went on and on. Hands on him, on Gimli. Then they were on the bed. The cool satin of the comforter felt like a bucket of ice water on his burning skin, startling him out of the sexual haze that he walked. Pushing Gimli on his back, Legolas wrapped his hand around Gimli’s cock for the first time. It wasn’t as long as his, short but definitely thicker, like its owner.

Before Gimli could stop him, Legolas swallowed the top half, bracing his hand on a thigh. A gasp split the silence as Legolas released his mouth to glide his tongue up the shaft. The taste was different, not bad but different than what he was used too. A woman might have a flavor to herself but men had a taste. Gimli’s was of a hard metal, Legolas noticed as he swallowed the flesh once more. He breathed it in as he got closer to pubic hair at the base.

Legolas could see the thighs quivering as he continued, the fox red hair shifting as the muscles bunched beneath the skin. Seeing him shake, tasting his precum, smelling his musk, hearing his groans, touching his body, all five senses were online giving him more stimuli than he could handle. The world had dwindled down to this room at this moment and nothing else mattered.

Legolas was so far gone in the act he was committing, he completely missed the first brush. A rough hand grabbed the back of his leg underneath his buttock in a firm grip that close to crushing. Arousal from the pain shocked him, confusing his expectation of sexual response. He moaned around the cock as he drew harder on the shaft. When he felt it again, he lost the momentum of the stroke, accidently nipping one side. Gimli growled “no teeth” at him, giving his leg a slap. But as the course thumb made a third pass over his anus, Legolas stilled completely. The finger moved gently, back and forth, stroking the ring of flesh.

He gasped. It was something new, a foreign action upon the tight sensitive ring of muscle. He might be gobbling on a man’s cock at the moment, Legolas had not really contemplated the mechanics of anal sex. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. The idea of being on his hands and knees with Gimli behind, driving the same cock that was hard in his mouth deep into his bowels staggered him. He wanted it, he wanted this but first he wanted to taste a man’s cum for the first time.

Releasing the cock with a nibble at the head, he turned to his lover. “Please don’t do that. Not yet. I can’t concentrate on sucking you.”

The bastard smiled. “Ok. Does that mean you are giving up that ass too?”

Legolas didn’t respond, running his tongue around the weeping crown in revenge. The laughing gasp jerked the hips under his mouth driving the cock to the back of his throat. Swallowing deep to stop the gagging, both groaned at the contact and both seemed to like it. Gimli began shallow thrusts down into Legolas’ throat, fucking his mouth steadily. His lover’s fingers grasped the long hair that fell from his head, holding him in place. As if there was anywhere else he wanted to be.

The thrusts became erratic as the cock in his mouth became impossibly harder, the flesh in his mouth on fire. The delicious smells teased his nose as he tried to burrow in the auburn fur before him. It was heaven and hell but it was never enough of either. Below him, his own cock and balls hung heavily, swinging as his spread hips gyrated with unspent desire, humping nothing but air.

Harsh grunts echoed in the room from Gimli as he approached his release. A hard ram of his cock, then a warm coppery tanged flood filled his mouth as his lover shook under his hands. Legolas swallowed quickly to stem the metallic brine that rushed over his tongue. He wanted it, was hungry for it. He kept sucking, licking the smooth glans in a vain attempt for more of the decadent fluid.

Another hiss sounded close by and Legolas felt a sharp tug on his hair where Gimli had it wound in his fingers, stopping his action. “No more please, it’s starting to hurt. You have sucked me dry!” The words held a sleepy laugh to its cadence. Legolas’ numb lips tugged in reaction as he fell onto his back, bouncing a little on the supple mattress.

His cock stood up straight, like a banner waving in the breeze. Gimli’s rasping breath slowed a short distance away. Legolas became concerned that he might have gone to sleep. He stretched out his legs from underneath his body, earning a snort from the younger man when he bumped him.

“Roll over.” Gimli whispered in the dark, still on his back.

“I think you need more recovery time.” Legolas told him as he stroked his aching dick, needing relief. He jacked the flesh slowly, a moan slid from his trembling lips.

“No, on your side. Face me.” Confusion wrinkled Legolas’ brow as he did as he was asked. I wonder what he has in store for me now, he thought.

Switching hands, he rolled to his right side, facing a smiling Gimli who began to side wind his way closer to him. Once he was near, a long dark pink tongue flicked out at the closest nipple. The buff colored membrane tightened, making the head of his cock tingle that much more. Those talented fingers rode his skin, mapping it from his shoulders, down his spine to cleft of his buttocks. Legolas was losing control as he began to hunch his hips forward, thrusting his cock against his lover’s heated body. The friction on his trapped cock in his hand increased as Gimli flexed against him, his mouth growling against his skin.

 _Gimli_.

The name alone in his mind sparked his quick release, as ropes of semen shot out the purple mushroom head to smear as their hips slapped against the other. The wave of his orgasm ebbed and flowed, giving him peace but taking his strength. Legolas exhaled the breath he had not been aware he was holding, feeling the contentment soak into his bones.

Gimli nuzzled the downy hair on his chest, his breath ghosting it gently. Legolas let go of his cock to wrap an arm about the sturdy body, pulling it tight only to have the young man in his arms do the same. He couldn’t remember the last time someone hugged him so tight, it was new but very welcome.

“You will be squishy.” Legolas said against the red hair as he kissed the head tucked under his chin.

“I don’t care.” Gimli pulled his head down, fusing their lips in a tender kiss.

 

 


	5. Talk To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When laying with you  
>  I could stay there, close my eyes  
>  Feel you here, forever  
>  You and me together, nothing gets better...
> 
> ~ Adele - Set Fire To The Rain ~

It’s a funny thing to remember. The odd little moments in time that flit at the edges of consciousness. There are things that we want to burn into our minds forever, capture them and never let go. Gimli had one such memory from the night. He could see plain as day the dilated eyes of his lover in the mirror before them as he fucked Legolas’ ass with steady strokes. The stunned expression of joy on his beautiful face as his hands clenched and unclenched the comforter. The groans from the pair as they strained towards a mutual release.

Sitting beside him now on the rumpled bed, they were both sated for a time. The last round had been quite explosive. The sky outside wasn’t black or even gray but yellowed streaked like veins of gold in the Lonely Mountain before it was chiseled. He would have to leave soon, go back to the dorms and pick up his bag to catch a plane for home and his family. As Gimli stroked the pale knee beside him in the quiet, he found the idea of leaving distasteful, another thing to endure but not enjoy.

Legolas lay on his back, those sea green eyes barely open. A flush still rode his cheeks either from the pleasure they had gained together or the aftermath of energy expended. Watching him now, Gimli wished for the first time he had skills like his artistic cousins. Either on canvas or sculpture, it would be a masterpiece that could make Rodin or Vermeer weep that they had not so worthy a subject. Maybe, because seeing him here like this was the first time Legolas looked truly relaxed.

There had been few words, less than what he was used too, post fucking. Men, if they didn’t roll over and drop after cumming, will let their mouths off the leash. Women were no different, wanting to spoon or talk about their future plans. The endless barrage of unnecessary talk usually had Gimli running to the door after ten minutes. Especially, if there wasn’t going to be another round. Who needed useless banter if he wasn’t getting fucked? But this was a different sitch…

“Why do they call you Greenleaf?” Gimli asked suddenly in a low voice. He didn’t want to disturb his lover if he was enjoying the solitude but he found he wanted to hear him talk.

“What?” Legolas looked at him confused as he shook off his lethargy.

“Your nickname among the Sigma’s. They call you ‘Greenleaf’. Is it because of Mirkwood?” Mahal, Gimli thought, I could watch him like this all day.

“Oh no! I had forgotten. No. I smoked so much weed here the others started calling me that. They thought it funny.” Legolas smiled at some forgotten memory before looking at him again. “What name did they saddle on you?”

“Dwarf.” Gimli snarled with a shake of his head. He had been the shortest one during Rush, therefore the one with the most to prove.

“Oh, that’s not nice.” Legolas looked away again but a smile skated across his lips.

Gimli felt the need to pinch the long limb under his hand but he settled for a grumble instead. The hint of a smile bloomed into a grin on the blond’s face at the noise. Time was getting away from them as the sky looked brighter than it had a few minutes ago. Sadness chased away his happy thought as he sat unmoving. He would need to shower before he left town, either here or at the dorms. Gimli wasn’t sure how to ask if he could use Legolas’.

“How long have you been gay?” The question interrupted the morose track of thoughts and insecurities. Gimli turned to look at the blond again, held captive by his light green eyes.

“I don’t know. When I was sixteen, I went swimming with some friends. One of their cousins came along, he wasn’t what you would expect. Long shirts, pants off his ass, very gangsta. But he took his clothes off and I got the biggest hard on just from looking at his body. More so than with any girl at that point. Later that year, I accidently saw Ori kissing another guy, same reaction.” Digging up old memories and laying them bare, made Gimli feel strangely vulnerable. Legolas’ forehead crunched in confusion as he stared.

“Do your parents know?” The blond persisted. Gimli could see the long fingers of his hand clenching the sheet, knuckles white.

“No. I didn’t think that would be a good idea until _I_ knew. It was one of the reasons I came here instead of Georgia Tech where my father wanted me to go.” He could see that the confusion wasn’t getting any better so he continued. “Georgia Tech is in the south where they don’t have the highest tolerance for homosexuality even in liberal college areas. San Fran has a high gay population, a much better place to test my preferences. Plus, having one of the top three Engineering school helped sell it with the family. I figured if I would come out here, play around, that way I would know if I was straight, gay or bi.”

“Your first experience. Was it what you thought it would be?” Legolas curled onto his side to watch Gimli, trapping his hand between his thighs. It was ok with Gimli, he really didn’t want to let go.

“It was unexpected. I went home with a local girl I had met during orientation. Her parents were away for a conference but her brother was home. I ran into him in the bathroom and followed him back to his bedroom.” Legolas’ eyebrows shot to his hairline at the confession as a smile lightened his face. It had been a fun night, the girl in question had snarled at her brother the next morning to stop poaching her cock.

“I am related to Fili after all, there is a little slut in all of us.” Gimli smiled at his joke but his lover frowned a little as he moved to lay on his back again.

“Related to Kili too. He won’t …hurt her, will he?” The words were pained, it hurt him to ask. But he was concerned for Tauriel still, whatever his other feelings for her might be.

“No, he won’t. Kili will love her completely.” Gimli didn’t know what to say to this sore subject, wasn’t sure what Legolas knew. He was all in favor of letting those dogs lie on the rug.

“Good. She deserves happiness.” He was so achingly sad when he said the words, as if he had been responsible for the misery of last fall instead of his father.

“So do you!” Gimli said it but could have stepped on his tongue, things were starting to progress faster than he had intended. Too much pressure from him would make Legolas break at the cracks that were already nakedly visible.

“Maybe, one day.” Legolas still didn’t look at him as he spoke, completely cut off. “I’m fucked up, Gimli. Not just a little but a lot. Therapists would line up out the door to get a shot at what’s inside my head. Feel free to use the shower, I am going downstairs to make breakfast. Eggs ok?”

“Yeah.” Gimli said the only thing he could as he watched the blond get out of bed.

He felt like he had whiplash from the sudden mood shift in the room. The dismissal had stung a bit, but wasn’t completely unexpected. Legolas’ retreat was the same as it had been last night, like the shying away of a wild animal. They had been happy, Gimli thought back, quiet but happy. Sharing with the blond had felt good because Legolas wanted to know these things about him. It was tentative, first we try, then we trust.

Legolas had been processing too, it was a new step. You could see him working it out, what they had done in a manner that he could understand. Legolas had been trying to put into context the idea that there was another life besides what he had always known. Yes, a lot had happened to the poor guy in the last few months, his axis had been hit by a bazooka a couple of times. Maybe this was the wrong time, desiring him while he was so clearly unhinged put Gimli in the dumbass category. Perhaps it was one shock too many.

Since the question of the shower was solved, Gimli sung his legs off the bed to head to the ensuite bath. Legolas had left in the nude but with his pajamas were still downstairs, he wouldn’t stay that way. A frown scrunched Gimli’s face as he flipped the dials for the showerheads. He grabbed a bath cloth and a towel before stepping into the glass enclosure. Using the guys soap might be a petty revenge but he would smell like the blond for the rest of the day at least.

Seeing the hand towel he had used last night on the rack left him conflicted. He had used a good bit of lube before pushing his cock into Legolas’ virgin anus, wanting to keep the prospect of tearing down to a minimum. Gimli was a firm believer that sex is supposed to feel good, not be painful. He had worked the angle right so that he was hitting Legolas’ prostate on each stroke. The incredible feeling of his lover’s balls smacking his legs as the Sindarin fucked backwards, wanting everything Gimli could give him was what had pushed Gimli himself over the edge to a thundering climax. But it was the aftermath, the laughing as Gimli had tried to help with clean up that was just one of the many things he wanted to remember when he left today.

Gimli laid his head on the tiled wall wishing like hell the water would wash all the new thoughts in his head down the drain. He hadn’t needed to be told this was Legolas’ first hump with a guy, that went without saying. Whether he was curious about his sexuality and hooked up with some another guy or ‘chased the chicken’ as Gimli liked to call it, the situation was beyond his control. He would be gone, out of town until the new year.

Grabbing the Molton Brown body wash, he started scrubbing down his legs and feet. There was a small bruise on his hip that he didn’t remember immediately, maybe it had been from the blowjob? Gimli remember the tight grip on his leg as his balls emptied into Legolas’ mouth. The sexy humming noise that his lover had made as he swallowed had Gimli’s cock twitching again.

He wanted to be pissed at the blond for just running out of the room but he didn’t have it in him. They had become strange bedfellows, Gimli thought with a smile. He liked Legolas, would probably have been friends had it been allowed despite the nine years age difference. All in all, the blond was probably the smarter one of the pair, the Durinsons would have a shit fit, nevermind Thranduil! It was Kili and Tauriel all over again.

There had been talk recently at the Alumni frat parties that Leg would be marrying Aranel’s cousin due to family pressure sometime in the New Year. If that were true, Gimli really didn’t need to get involved with him, combustible attraction be damned. Gimli didn’t relish the idea of being of someone’s side piece. Mistresses and affairs were the main root of Legolas’ problems, not that Gimli was going to present him with a kid.

As he got dressed in last night’s clothes, he came to a few conclusions of his own. He would go downstairs, eat the food and leave. Gimli had made the first step, it was up to Legolas to decide what he wanted. There was only so much he could do but the guy was going to have to give him some indication that the attention was wanted, not that Legolas was settling for something new and bizarre. Gimli had come to terms with what he wanted in life even at eighteen, he knew. Legolas was twenty seven, it was past time.

Grabbing his shoes, Gimli slumped in the chair, exhaustion starting to catch up with him. The air was still heavy with the smell of sex and testosterone, a musky perfume that made him want the blond all over again. The sheets would need to be stripped, stains spiderwebing the satin. He scanned the room for anything else that might be his, tossing away the condom wrapper that lay by the nightstand. The overturned bottle of lube made him smirk. Legolas hadn’t minded him leaving to run downstairs for the condoms and lube that he brought with him but left in his coat pocket. He just told Gimli that he should have gone back earlier when he realized that he didn’t have them.

As he turned for the door, Gimli noticed a bow leaning against the wall. There was dust on the riser which told him that it had not been touched in a while. After years of watching his cousin, Kili with his stuff, he knew that most archers were anal to the point of compulsion about their equipment. Legolas was heralded to be better than many if not the best. Why wasn’t he shooting or at least taking care of his bow? The words _Sebastian Flute_ could be seen in bold letters along one side. Must be expensive, Gimli thought. Sindarins had a thing about wanting the best.

Was it because of Tauriel? Gimli stared at the string, worn from obvious use. There was some fraying at the reels at the top corner that he could see from constantly being drawn. The quiver was missing, not propped close by the bow. What good was a bow without an arrow? Come to think of it, there was a suspicious lack of knives and swords in the room. It had been a hard habit to break for Gimli once he had moved here, walking around without protection. California liberals didn’t like being around someone carrying an axe, so his hung over his bed at the dorms. But there was some bladed weapon on his person all times despite the availability of guns here. Dwalin’s lessons were very hard to forget.

But Legolas didn’t even carry a knife! Nevermind a sword or his bow. Granted it might look funny here on the streets to the locals but why was he suddenly so lax in his personal security? Gimli knew that there was one place to get the answers that he needed. Unfortunately, these were not in the bedroom.


	6. Call me, blondie....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know I can't take one more step towards you  
>  'Cause all that's waiting is regret
> 
> ~Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts~

 

Walking down the narrow back stairs, the smell of bacon hit him before he was halfway into the kitchen. It was a Victorian house but most of the decor was not in the same period theme. Lots of hardwoods and heavy creams, not the scrolled pastels and winged cherubs that one normally sees. Here in the kitchen was the exception. Large black appliances against black swirled obsidian countertops pushed the Victorian look harder than expected. The wallpaper was black with large cabbage roses in pinks, purples and blues. Framed prints of fruit crate labels and old railroad certificates dominated one wall in a colorful array of expression. The only thing that kept it from looking like an expensive cave were the large bank of windows overlooking the back lawn.

Legolas was back in his pjs, his long white blond hair in a queue down his back. His forehead crunched as he concentrated on his eggs in the copper bottom pan. Gimli stood at the entrance just watching the tall man as he moved around his kitchen. He is elegant, he thought not for the first time, as the long thin fingers whisked the eggs around in the pan. There seemed to be a similarity between Legolas and the eggs he so loved. Both were pale with fragile exteriors. Sighing, Gimli made his presence known.

“You really cooked.” He said as he looked over the bar set with two places.

The bacon Gimli had smelled was drying on a paper towel on the plate beside a tall mug of what looked like coffee. There was another plate full of buttered toast with jars of assorted jelly standing sentinel on each side. It was very homey, almost domestic.

“Well, it could be a long day for you and you would need something on your stomach before the flight.” Legolas began scraping the eggs out of the pan to the plates, giving Gimli a generous portion. He was nervous but Gimli couldn’t figure out why.

“I could have eaten at the airport. I hate that you went to the trouble.” Gimli took the plate as he took a seat at the counter top. Legolas stood across from him eating his eggs slowly.

“Its no trouble.” The blond told Gimli between mouthfuls.

A silence descended as they ate. The food was good, Gimli preferred a carb heavy breakfast but the eggs were fluffily scrambled with mild salsa and a hint of sharp cheese. The bacon was crispy without being burnt, lean without a lot of grease. Gimli ignored the coffee, drinking the water instead. Coffee wouldn’t help him sleep on the plane ride.

Legolas took the frying pan, squirting it with dish soap before dropping it in the dishwater to allow it to soak. Gimli spread some strawberry jelly on a piece of toast, discreetly watching the blond. Obviously, escaping from the bedroom had not calmed him down any. The poor guy still seemed a bit wound as he stood by the sink, clenching a dishtowel as he stared out the window. From the state of his pjs, other parts were anxious too.

“If you would like, I can take you to the airport.” Legolas said finally in quiet tones. He was still looking out the window, not at the man who he had been fucking for the last six hours.

“You have done more than enough already. I don’t expect..” Gimli wasn’t sure what to say now, much less what to do. It wasn’t awkward yet but there were serious inroads to that destination.

Legolas cut him off. “Its no trouble like I said. It gets me out of the house and you a ride. Finish your breakfast, I need to take a quick shower.”

Gimli shook his head as he took another piece of toast. The morning was getting stranger and stranger with Legolas. The guy had seemed accepting of the sex and all that happened last night but now its ‘Im fucked up but I will be your cook and chauffer.’ The two of them together were sexually fantastic but outside the bedroom, they didn’t have much to say. Gimli started making a mental list of conversation for the ride. In a car, there would be music, buildings, people to point out and discuss. In the house, all Gimli could think was how tight that ass had been and was it too soon to ask for seconds?

There were some eggs left that he wasn’t sure what Legolas wanted done with them. Finally, he scrapped the last of congealing mass into the trash before rinsing the used service. Legolas had left plates in the sink so Gimli decided to do the same. When in Rome, he thought with a shrug.

The house had a tight construction, just about nook and cranny sealed. Gimli had not known Legolas was there until he was almost in the kitchen, his shoes barely making a noise on the stairs. He was dressed in black Under Armour sweats with a North Face jacket over an arm. He looked like a model just stepping out of a magazine. His hair was dry so he hadn’t washed it, simply pulling it away from his face to the base of his neck.

Tugging on his heavy coat, Legolas asked, “Ready?”

Gimli nodded absently. He spent the next few minutes wandering around the first floor to find his coat in the front parlor. The rooms had a maze like feel, as if they were trying to keep him from leaving. The kitchen seemed to be the only dark room, everything else was light and airy. The artwork on the walls hung majestically in heavy wood frames, names like Sargent, Gainsborough and Inness. The realism was stunning, like the tree in one painting was going to drop a peach at your feet.

Legolas waited patiently in the kitchen with a smile. Gimli smiled back feeling almost shy. He had come to the house with his escape route complete with numbers for two cab companies that work all night. This so wasn’t part of the plan, but then to be honest he had not expected last night to really happen, not deep down. He would never have thought in a million years that he would have a shot at getting into bed with Legolas Sindarin.   But he had and now there had to be a new plan.

It was still early morning, the sun was climbing but it hasn’t cleared the buildings yet. Saturday morning traffic across the bay on the I-80 was light, the migratory humans flying out of town yesterday. Legolas’ Cayenne was a dream, gliding through the sparse traffic like a great white shark. The roads in town were hard a car, having an SUV was much better with its heavy suspension.

There was light banter light banter between them, making Gimli wonder all over again. If the guy was happy to be rid of him, he wouldn’t be telling stories about Aquatic Park and Treasure Island or any other local sites. He would have dropped him at the nearest cab stand. But Legolas was laughing at his jokes, even some of the corny ones. The blond had started telling this dirty limerick, stopping only because they were both laughing so hard.

Berkeley as predicted was still asleep. Most of the dorms were empty by now with only a few stragglers like Gimli still inside. Legolas agreed to wait in the SUV for him since he wouldn’t be long. Foothill Hall was about what you would expect, cramped with institutional paint schemes. Its only redeeming feature to Gimli was that it was close to his upcoming engineering classes. The decibel level wasn’t extreme and the RA was a decent guy.

With his roommate gone, Gimli tossed his dirty clothes in the hamper, intent on dealing with it when he returned. They would have to be sent to the cleaners anyway. He caught a whiff of the body wash that Legolas uses and it made him grin a little. Dressing in a pair of jeans and a pullover, he folded the Columbia coat over an arm as he grabbed his rolling suitcase and carry on bag. All of the gifts had been shipped home the first week of December so they were there waiting for Christmas day. Gimli had taken the time to pack everything last night before he went to the party so there would be less to do this morning. Boy, was he glad he did!

Legolas had commandeered a parking spot by the door, the exhaust from the running vehicle wavering in the early morning light. Gimli looked at his watch, realizing that he would get there in good time if the roads and traffic were still light. He could see Legolas surfing on his phone through the windshield as he neared the Cayenne. He popped the locks on the door, allowing Gimli to stow his things in the back seat. Careful of the leather, he put his suitcase on top of his coat as a layer of protection.

“I was curious.” Legolas asked as Gimli got settled in his seat. “Why Sigma fraternity?”

“Well that was out of left field..” Gimli told him with a smile. “Erebor Ironworks will need better contacts in the future. As both an engineer for the Ironworks and a Sigma alum, I can help Thorin move the company into an expansion phase. Most of the Alumni get into the banking or investing as well as some aspects of real estate. It seemed like a good idea.”

Thorin had been won over to Gimli going to Berkeley on that argument alone. Steel was constantly being replaced by higher density plastics, every new contact or tips for areas of expansion would be to Erebor’s benefit. Gimli knew that he would be working at Ironworks after college so why not get Erebor to help with his tuition? Particularly if helped the bottom line, it could be written off the books at tax time. Gloin had been annoyed that Gimli had gone behind his back but he had applauded his ingenuity in the end.

“It’s a good idea. Sigma’s help their own in many ways like that, giving preference to Alum in negotiations. But you have to keep up with it. Go to the parties. Give the right wedding gifts.” Legolas was rolling his eyes at the hypocrisy of it. It was nothing more than an expensive game.

“A load of bullshit.” Gimli grumbled. “Why did you ask?”

“You seem to fit in well, but from what I know of Durinsons they don’t like the highbrow.” Legolas smirked at him as they got back on the 80 south to the airport.

“We do ok!” Gimli reached over to pinch the side of Legolas’ leg through the sweats with a snarl. Legolas just laughed as he flinched away. “Dressing up does drive me crazy. I fit in because I have too.”

Legolas just laughed then, it had a musical high tone that one normally associates with a girl. But Legolas was so very male, even with the long hair. The black sweats washed his skin tone out, making his hair look like cotton. In the morning sunlight, his coloring took on a pearlescent sheen like the inside of an oyster shell. Gimli knew it would have the same feel, soft and smooth. He could feel the trouser snake start to wiggle in his pants as if its nap was over.

The sun caped the waves in the bay in gold, lightening the water color to aquamarine. The sky was cloudless, but there was supposed to be snow again tomorrow as a front rolled in later tonight. The windy day helped with the smog index, so did the colder temperatures. The flight shouldn’t be delayed and he remembered to text his parents so they could pick him up in Lanconia.

“There wasn’t a Christmas tree in your house.” Gimli asked quietly at the bay.

“Im alone here. Didn’t feel like celebrating.” Legolas told him with shrug, but his hand tightened on the steering wheel.

The trip to San Bruno was quicker than he expected, leaving Gimli feeling bereft that he still had not idea really what to do. They had not talked about seeing each other again, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to freak the guy out by asking. Legolas loosened up some more as he drove, his fingers relaxing around the wheel. He even sang off key to a few songs he knew with Gimli giving a gruff counterpoint to the bridge.

They pulled into line for the drop off to non international flights, jockeying for position. There were many people loading and unloading cars, hugging loved ones. Gimli felt a wave of loneliness as well as despair that this was the end. Unless..

“Legolas, give me your phone.. please.” Gimil held out his hand while he watched a couple kiss very enthusiastically hello.

Legolas gave him an odd look but did as he was asked. The new iphone has the generic white case with no additional frills. The Sindarin unlocked the screen before handing it to Gimli. He took the phone with a smile as he pulled up the menu and called his cell phone. The device vibrated in his pocket, nudging his cock hello.

“I called my cell.” Gimli told the blond who looked at him with a puzzled expression. “I know you said you’re fucked up, but I don’t care if you are. I figure if you want to see me again, you can call me while I am gone. If I don’t hear from you in the next two weeks, I will know it’s been fun.”

Gimli handed the iphone back to Legolas but managed a grazing of his fingers along the pale wrist. The blond looked at the phone but back to him quickly at the brush on his skin. It was warm velvet to his blunt fingers, invigorating. The slight hitch in his breath at the contact, made Gimli want to yank him forward so he lick the long length of his throat. Anything to feel that hitch against his mouth, to hear him sigh once more. If he wasn’t careful, Legolas could be his greatest Achilles heel.

“Ok.” That was all Legolas said as if he wasn’t sure himself what to do.

Gimli got out of the Cayenne, closing the passenger side door. From the back, he could see Legolas sitting in the front seat staring at the phone as misery tightened his expression. Whatever demons he had, they were his and he would have to fight them past them if he wanted a semblance of a life.

Unable to just walk away, Gimli said. “Legolas? Merry Christmas.”

The blond looked at him finally as he stood in the open door. “Have a merry Christmas, Gimli.”

He didn’t wait any further, simply put the SUV in drive. Gimli shut the door as he shouldered his carry on, walking to the terminal. It was the longest walk he had ever made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Google maps has really become my friend.. most of the points mentioned in the story are places that I have seen on the street view as to get an idea of the layout of the town since I have never been to San Fran personally. I did some research on Berkeley for IB2U, finding which dorms would be good for which students if they have a specific major at admission.
> 
> As always, I thank everyone so much for continuing with me on this wild ride ! I appreciate it more than you know :o)  
> Merry Christmas to all !


	7. Holiday Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laughter, joy, and loneliness  
>  And sex and sex and sex and sex  
>  And look at me, I'm in tatters  
>  I'm all shattered, shattered
> 
> ~ Rolling Stones - Shattered Lyrics ~

If he saw one more Santa and his elf fuckers, he would scream.

Christmas was for families, children with excited faces and obnoxious toys. The yule log roars in the fire, boughs of Holly and Mistletoe hanging from the fireplace held up by red bows. Mountains of presents for the family that you didn’t like in the first place. Too bad giving lumps of coal was out of style this year or Legolas would have had some shipped to New Hampshire. Christmas was the biggest racket in the world next to airline baggage fees.

Shopping during the holiday season was like a war. If you were out Christmas Eve, you had to be strategic, plan your attack as well as have an exit or multiple if your primary was blocked due to dancing midgets in green. If you reached your objective without injury or a serious engagement of hostile salespeople, you have a relatively good chance of survival. Christmas Eve shopping with a woman is better, she is the diversion. Penny was supposed to meet him but was getting bogged down at a local children’s hospital so she had to pass on the Galleria today.

The news had been trickling in from home lately. Fanhir had become his inside man at Mirkwood, passing along any tidbits he thought Legolas should know. He was a good guy, tried hard at his job, tried harder to get into Galion pants. The amount of info that Fanhir came in contact with on a given day would stagger the rest of his fellow employees. Mostly, it was inane stuff like who Talagan was sleeping with at the moment, to Thranduil tripping on a tree root during his morning kata. The man could sniff out gossip better than a bloodhound.

That was how Legolas had learned of the Mirkwood Christmas party last weekend. A party that he had not been invited. Fanhir had mentioned that Thranduil told people that Legolas was too busy wooing a certain young lady in Sausalito to make the trip back to New Hampshire for the holidays. His father had obviously forgotten how every one of the same employees had seen Legolas chasing Tauriel like a lust filled rabbit ready to hump her leg if she stopped long enough. The explanations made him seem out of touch or that Legolas was desperate, neither was an appealing prospect. He hadn’t been too busy to come home but Thranduil was too embarrassed to admit that his son wasn’t welcome.

Staring at the latest text from the resident gossip, Legolas squelched up his face in misery. Tauriel was engaged or so Glanwen was passing around the estate. The two of them had connected strongly and become close since Tauriel had moved to Paris. He looked up from the phone to the frantic shoppers, happy and sad emotions congealing into a misery he couldn’t escape. Easing away from a store entrance, Legolas blindly walked down the Stonetown Galleria promenade, watching nothing in particular. He was happy that she was happy, finally with someone who loved her as much as she loved him. But sadness stole his thoughts as well. He knew that their lives even as friends together was over, never to be restarted. Kili would never be comfortable with his wife being around him, even if he was her brother.

Wondering aimlessly in a demilitarized zone that is a food court is an extremely bad idea. Salvation Army ringers hit him up at every turn. Legolas was close to shoving a little kid at a spastic Frosty the snowman who was selling raffle tickets for a dinner for two at Alcatraz. He managed to escape the hustle and bustle of the urban jungle, coming to a stop at a window display of assorted diamonds and other jewelry. The solitaires were breathtaking.

Why was he waiting for his life to start? Penny wasn’t going to hang around forever. Legolas knew that he would evidentially ask her to marry him anyway, so why was he dragging his feet about it? It had been a month already, why not ask her now?

Scrolling through his phone, he pulled up the contacts to ask Aranel if he knew anyone at Bulgari. Might as well let the gossip train leave the station. As he pulled up his contact list, Legolas saw Gimli’s name a few spots up from Aranel’s. He had taken the time to store the number for future torture sessions. Just seeing the name set off a pain in his chest that he couldn’t understand. The boy behind the name was reason by all of this indecision. It was why he was waiting.

Gimli had been gone three days and it was like there was a hole inside that nothing could fill. Legolas wanted him back, more than anything he wanted to go to New Hampshire and crawl into bed with him. He wasn’t inclined to care if his parents was ok with it or not. To feel his stocky body against his once more, the sensation of that springy burnish pelt of his rubbing across his skin, Legolas would give almost anything.

Legolas understood his needs, understood his motivations. It wasn’t just the amazing sex, it was the closeness after all the orgasms. The absent fingers on his leg, being held in those strong arms wrapped around him like bands of steel.   Was it fair to be with Gimli, to ask him to walk into his crazy shitstorm? He was an eighteen year old kid who had a path in life. If Legolas was being _fair_ , he would let him continue on his path, bowing out gracefully. Not let him get mired down in the Sindarin swamp of twisted terror.

Walking out of the Nordstroms, Legolas heard his name to his left as he made his way to his Cayenne. The crosswalk was clogged with shoppers toing and froing from their vehicles to the stores pushing him forward to the curb. It reminded him of salmon swimming upstream. Once he gained the mounted concrete area, he turned in a circle looking for the person who might be calling him. Thanks to the tall genes he had been blessed with, Legolas was head and shoulders above most the herd that trudged into the holiday ground zero.

Stepping around a harried mother and her brood of three droolers, Legolas walked to a lesser crowded space. Looking around, he saw a rather stocky person from the back with short curly red hair. For a moment, Legolas’ heart jumped behind his teeth that it could be Gimli. A swarm of butterflies flirted low in his belly as he wondered for a moment if Gimli came back early. But the person’s head whipped around revealing a stout woman with a nose piercing and a chain that stretched along one cheek to her ear. It wasn’t him, but Legolas’ body hadn’t caught up with his brain. His cock jumped in his pants with lots of ‘what might have been’ yanking his chain.

A breathless sigh beside him pulled his attention away from the large female to a willowy one to his left. Runa was a pretty girl, a Lennasthrieln cousin of Penny’s. She had the same graceful symmetry of features which meant that she probably went to the same plastic surgeon as her cousin, someone in Beverly Hills if rumors were correct. Four years younger than Penny, she had just arrived back from Europe for the holidays. It was Penny’s navy blue eyes staring at him now, but Penny’s had never looked so predatory.

“Legolas, Darling!” Runa grabbed him in tight hug, dragging her squishy saline implants up his chest. “I am so pleased to see you!”

I just bet you are, Legolas thought cynically, cringing at her touch that seemed a little more than friendly. She brushed her fingers down his shoulders to grab his hands to being them close to her bosom. The faux black and gray fur collar of her black wool coat framed her pale cleavage with picture perfect accuracy. You could see the fine bristles sweeping over her flesh in a caressing fashion. The coat itself was long which meant there were probably boots underneath to keep her pencil thin legs warm. Being that skinny, she probably no real blood flow.

“Penny mentioned you were back, working at the palace of fine arts?” Legolas had been slightly drunk at the party they had attended Saturday night when Runa’s name came up in conversation. Penny had been stiffly gracious of her young cousin during the discussion.

“Oh yes, I just love dear _old_ Penny. And yes, darling, I am working at the Palace. I had so much fun in Paris, interning at the Louvre. They just had to have me, you know.” The brunette was talking more with her hands now, her bejeweled fingers capped with blood red dagger nails flashing past his face. It was enough to give him vertigo.

Runa slid her arm through Legolas’ in an attempt to walk him back into mall with her as she continued her self-grandiose speech.   Legolas shifted his weight back on his heels refusing to be strong armed into that festive third circle of hell. He wasn’t going to be fooled by her constant chatter to be steered back into that charnel house of Mistletoe! It would be rude to shake her off but really that was what she deserved for calling her own cousin ‘old’.

When she realized Legolas wasn’t following along, she gave a funny little laugh that transformed into a pout. “Aranel said that you and Penny are getting quite close. I told him that I couldn’t see you, a Sindarin, settling for last year’s model.” Runa stepped closer, invading his personal space. “Especially when you can have something _fresh_.”

Legolas felt his lip curl at the blatant undercutting from this worthless meat sack of a female. Runa had just shown the worst possible side of herself, a selfish individual who would snipe her own cousin’s man if she could. Legolas might not be in love with Penny though she might grow on him like a fungus eventually if he allowed it. But if Runa was the rule of behavior for the Elven family, Legolas decided right then that he wanted nothing to do with them.

Sindarin was a powerful name, any woman would love to be a Mrs. Sindarin and all it entailed. But the Sindarin’s of old valued their family, would cut down any who threatened them. His uncle and his family lived in Languedoc, France with their vineyards. All Thranduil need do was pick up a phone for the French Sindarins to descend enmass, despite their opinions on Thranduil’s behavior. Runa’s actions stunned him.

Firmly removing her hand from his arm, Legolas gave her a steely smile. “I am always fascinated by that argument of youth verses experience. Would you buy a puppy that needs constant training or a dog that already knows what is expected? Personally, I like the hard work already done, less embarrassment that way. Penny has some very interesting ideas on the subject, maybe you should discuss them with her, maybe over the Elven family dinner tomorrow night? I think _fresh_ lobster is on the menu.”

His speech stripped her cloying expression away, leaving it rather sour. The longer he held that harsh smile, the more uncomfortable she became. He had her hand now in his gloved ones, rubbing it gently between the two. Runa grimaced as the rings cut into her sensitive fingers but Legolas was beyond caring. The spoiled brat deserved a little pain.

Nodding his head to her, he spun on his heel and ambled to his Cayenne on the second level. Runa had not been a topic of conversation with Penny, discussing her male family more than the female. It was possible that they were all in competition with each other over who could land the biggest fish. It might be the accepted occupation among his social set, that women marry well as an occupation but it just seemed like a waste.

Penny was a year older than he, witty but not overbearing in her intelligence. She spent her time at children’s hospitals, 5k runs for endangered animals and homes for homeless pets. He knew that she arranged for donations to shelters for battered women but never went herself. Penny had never had a life of hardship but wanted to help where she could. Runa, however, was too busy ramming Art down people’s throats to care about others. Legolas might not be the smartest guy in the world but even he knew that a relationship with Runa was trouble that he didn’t need.

The Cayenne chirped as the locks disengaged, allowing him entry. Getting inside, Legolas immediately turned on the heated seats and locked the doors. A Cayenne would be a lovely Christmas present for some enterprising criminal. Legolas had stopped carrying weapons after his arrival, not caring for his personal safety while he took the slow boat into a drug induced mental decline. But now that he was awake and aware, the risks he had taken lately seemed so very stupid, though his night with Gimli didn’t make the epicfail category.

Sitting in the SUV, he wondered if that little scene was what his life would become. Long days and longer nights with people who made him almost homicidal. Penny was nice but her family were a nest of carnivores, even Aranel fell in line with the bunch on occasion. Legolas was twenty seven and for all of his life, he had done what others had wanted like a well trained dog. Where was the harm in having something he wanted before he gave into the inevitable? Even if what he wanted was another man?

Pulling out his phone, he sent off a text to Penny about seeing Runa, asking her to call him when she could. No point in letting the girl get blindside with that nasty piece of work. When he saw Gimli’s name, he hesitated. Gimli had asked him to call if he wanted to see him again. There was never a doubt that he wanted to see him again, the real question was if he could stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will admit I wanted til late in the year to Xmas shop hence the shopping being compared to a warzone.. Felt like it at times! lol
> 
> Ok.. Fun fact. Lennasthrieln (Runa's Surname) means rune keeper in Sindarin. One of the non canon characters from the roleplaying game that I borrowed from T/G. I thought since Pennastan 'Penny' has an Elven surname, changing it up a little to make the dynamic work.
> 
> thanks so much for reading my humble efforts !


	8. Head Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He turned his life around. He used to be depressed & miserable. Now he's miserable & depressed.
> 
> ~David Frost~

 

It took him a few days to get his mind right. New Hampshire wasn’t San Fran and Berkeley wasn’t Erebor. Realizing that he now had two different mindsets knocked him for a loop, made Gimli feel more at odds with his home. The first day he hadn’t bothered to call any of his old crew. His mom had him in a strangle hold, refusing to let him go far as her speeches on life kept flipping back and forth in three different languages. English and French were the norm in his house but when she got really agitated, Mrs. Gloin would start firing off Arabic with the rapidity of a machine gun. Gimli thanked every god in the world that he had paid attention as a child so he could follow along as an adult.

Laketown and Dale were nice friendly towns, very cookie cutter with low crime statistics until the recent shit with the Orcs. They had been ideal for the concerned parents who wanted to raise their kids away from bad elements and any possible fun. Most of his buddies had gone to college far away from home just like him, wanting something more that the same old, same old. Now their families were happy that they were not in the middle of the coming war. While Gimli’s reasons had been slightly different, he didn’t fault them for wanting something more than lockdown homes every night.

The MC had been happy to see him but all had been anxious on when he was leaving. Gloin was in full protective mode, wanting his son as far from the fight as possible. Thorin wanted him on a plane after Christmas until he got a good look at Mrs. Gloin’s expression. The leader of Erebor quietly tucked his tail and scurried away. Gimli loved his dad but there was no way he was running from a fight, especially one that might hurt his family, close or extended.

He had tried to leave his phone alone too in the days he had been home, he really tried. But every time it blipped with an incoming message, Gimli almost broke his neck to grab it. When he had finally texted his friends, they were all in favor of a day out from family! The disappointment that Legolas had not called or at least text was weighing him down so he agreed to a meet and greet in town after the holiday. Gimli was curious how his friends had fared in their first real jolt away from home.

His parents had no problem with him going out with his buddies after the holiday, as long as he strapped heavy. Gimli had a feeling his mom wanted him to move back so she could watch the women he was with like she had in high school. She had gone so far as to snark the last time he had reached for his phone that he needed to give the girls a rest while he was here, give them a chance to miss him! While it was the wrong gender and the complete wrong situation, her reasoning was sound. The blond idiot would call or not but Gimli refused to chase him with texts or facebook stalk him.

He couldn’t stop himself from making discreet inquiries, though. It was like he wanted to punish himself. Some of the Alum were gushing that there was a wedding on their horizon and it was about time too! Leg and his woman were in pictures a Christmas party the Saturday night after he left, smilingly happy but Gimli could see it was off. Legolas’ eyes had more glaze than a donut, probably smoking weed again or drunk. If the guy had to be tanked around his woman, why was he with her? It just made no sense at all.

He had heard through the town vine that Thranduil was still in residence, hosting a party at Mirkwood for the employees and their families last week. Legolas was still in San Fran as far as anyone knew and had not attended due to feminine obligations. The few people he had talked to at his mom’s shop were tripping over themselves to give him the dirt from the last few months, like he hadn’t heard it already from his father. The talk about Legolas chasing his sister had been minimal which meant no one really knew. If they had, that tidbit would have been front and center in every convo.

Since it was Christmas Eve, Gimli would be staying at home tonight. His dad would be sitting in the coffee shop with his mom until just after sundown. The Orcs and Spiders in the towns were trying to provoke a fight with anyone, Mirkwood, Erebor, or Gandalf. Many people headed home just after work, hiding behind closed doors. Most only ventured out in dire need and only with plenty of weapons. His mother was feisty but most people if they had a working brain were afraid of his dad. The bushy red beard was a bright flag to a vicious temper.

Gimli walked out to the porch, flipping his phone around and around in his hand. He thought about contacting a good piece of ass that he fucked the week before Aranel’s Alum party. The guy had been sweet, knew how to suck cock with a practiced efficiency of long habit. Shaved head stubble with a cute widow’s peak, golden Latino skin, he was every gay man’s wet dream. However, the trouser snake barely gave a twitch which meant it was a stale idea.

Walking out to the fire pit, Gimli took a seat on one of the beaches as Dori finished piling up the logs. The older man waived off his assistance, loving the ritual duties. The sun would set in a little while, bringing everyone out for caroling and the spiked wassail that Dori was cooking. Apples from the fall harvest would baked in the fire then passed around with a caramel drizzle for dipping. It was one of the activities that he loved best during the holidays, everyone would gather around laughing and just being together. The apples were nice too.

He was staring at the unlit logs at the edges when someone walked by and smacked him on the back of the head. “Ow!”

Sigrid plopped down beside him with her infectious grin a mile wide. “Loser!”

“Hey!” Gimli pulled her close in a hug, careful not to get to rowdy with Fili’s woman. His cousin was mean when it came to the love of his life if the gossip was true.

“How are things, dude? I had heard you were home.” Sigrid was a charmer and one of Gimli’s favorite people.

“Got in Saturday. I have been given the 411 on your taming the beast!” He told her as he let her go, if possible her grin got wide with a blush riding her cheeks. “What are you doing here instead of being with your family tonight?”

“I will leave in the morning to be there for brunch. Tame the beast!? Now you sound like Kili!” Sigrid’s bright smile dimmed a few watts as her curly blond hair whipped in the wind . “Speaking of Kili. You didn’t meet Tauriel, did you?”

“Nope. She worked at Mirkwood, remember? That wasn’t my playground.” Gimli snorted at the strangeness of life. Kili chased and caught a Mirkwood girl, now he wanted a Mirkwood _guy_.

Pushing aside those thoughts for the moment, Gimli gave her a grin, taking her gloved hands in his. Sigrid’s brother Bain had been his partner in crime when Gimli had been in high school despite being a year older than the Bowman kid. Graduating had cut their bond a little but Gimli was hoping to see him while he was home.

“Bain emailed that he got some scholarship, I don’t remember which.” Gimli cocked his head in question, hoping to stave off any real questions about his time in Berkeley.

“Oh! He’s an Arnor Scholar! He will be going to Oxford! Dad wanted him to go to Lothlorian but Bain took a page out of your book and started looking outside of town.” Sigrid’s grin got impossibly wider, brushing her shoulder against his. “I am so happy that he won!”

“Wow, the little prick didn’t say he was going to Oxford!” That really knocked him for a loop, Bain in England? “I am so happy for him too. What is he going to do there?”

“I am thinking political science or economics. He goes to all the town meetings with dad.” The sun brushed her face but her smile was so much brighter. Gimli could see her happiness almost coming out of her pores.

“Ok, so your brother aside. When do I get to call you my cousin?” Gimli teased, watching her face turned tomato red. “Has he popped the question?”

“Not yet.. Its hard, Gim! You know I have had a crush on him since braces.” She laughed, wrapping her arms about her waist. “I never thought he would actually have feelings for me like that.”

Gimli laughed outright at all the memories of her whining and languishing over if she would never be enough for Fili to notice her. There had been lots of nights him and Bain would stay up over ice cream while she mopped about the latest rumor of who Fili was humping. Gimli never told his cousin when they crossed paths of a young girl in Dale who loved him from afar. Now it seemed to have worked out for the better that he had not.

“Just takes the right person at the right moment. Everything else just fades….away.” Gimli caught himself as he said the words because they were right. You never know what you want until if comes when you least expect it.

“Sounds like you might know what you are talking about, my dear Gimli.” Sigrid’s smile turned into a smirk as she stared at her friend. “So who has stolen your heart at last?”

Trying and failing to hide his embarrassment, he told her. “I don’t think..”

“Oh please! You have been home three days and you are sulking! I know because I have done it and recognize the signs. Now fess up!” Sigrid could be bossy when she wanted something, long years of their friendship couldn’t change her mind.

Unsure of what to say, Gimli spoke in generalities. “Okayyyy..I hooked up with someone before I came back home for Christmas. I left my cell number but nothing. I don’t want to chase but I haven’t felt this way before and its..”

“Guy or a girl?” Sigrid interrupted as she soothed her hair into the hood of her thick black coat.

“What?” Gimli was dumbfounded, why would she ask a question like that?

“Are we talking about a guy or a girl?” She spoke slowly like she was trying to teach him another language. Shock invaded into every corner of Gimli’s brain.

“Guy.” He said quietly, looking at Dori. “I don’t..how did you…?”

“Please! I saw the way you looked at my cousin, Girion a few summers ago! What a twat by the way. Plus, you went to Berkeley. Way across the country, smart move. You barely dated in high school, no sex either if the gossip is true.” Sigrid looked all proud of herself, sitting up straight on the bench beside him. “Hey! I am in no position to judge. I have been fantasizing about the town slut since I understood what my clit can do.”

“Oh my god, I don’t need this.” Gimli put his head in hands, leaning forward at the waist. Sigrid rubbed his back in slow circles. “I really don’t need my female friends using the word ‘clit’ either!”

“Oh well. Don’t sweat it. Look whoever this guy is, it will happen or it won’t. Obviously same sex relationships aren’t the same as hetero, the games aren’t the same. But it sounds like the ball is in his court. He will pick it up or leave it but you need to enjoy yourself!” Sigrid pulled him close to drop a kiss on his head. A barking snarl erupted behind them, scaring them both.

“Wench! I turn my back and you are off with my cousin! Shameless hussy!” Fili walked up to them, wrapping his big arms around a laughing Sigrid. “ _My_ woman, go find your own.” Fili snarked at Gimli.

“Caveman! You going to put a bone through her nose too?” Gimli laughed at his cousin good-naturedly.

“He can bone me where ever he wants!” Sigrid giggled as Fili stuck his tongue out at Gimli before giving ‘his woman’ a kiss hello.

Gimli slid down more on the bench so Fili could squeeze in between them. Sigrid jumped into in Fili’s lap in the end so there was more room for the two men. With the Fili’s arrival, Gimli wasn’t inclined to continue their discussion on his sexual proclivities. The fact that Sigrid had accurately guessed would also mean that Bain might have as well. They had been close as teenagers, like brothers even. The Bowmans had been his larger second family since Gimli himself was an only child.  

As people started to gather outside with mugs for wassail, Gimli swiped his phone to check to see if he might have had a text in the last few minutes. The compulsion was so strong to call, it almost hurt. Gimli started to pull up his apps only to watch his phone get yanked out of his hand by a giggling Sigrid.

Putting his phone into a side pocket of her poofy coat, she shook her head. “Staring at it won’t make it ring. You can have it back at the end of the night.”

Gimli started to tear into her for the theft only to be cut off by a smiling Fili. “Let her have her way. Tonight is about family anyway.”

He shook his head as he growled at them both. The couples antics ensured that he wouldn’t stay made for long. Conversations changed as more and more people showed up to take a seat either on a bench or on a blanket covered patch of ground. His parents surprised him by showing up early, sitting not far away. His mother, wrapped in a heavy wool cape snuggled close to his father who in turn pulled her into his arms.

His parents love had always surprised him. Gloin was a gruff man, snarly and rude when angry. But he put that side away or tried very hard in the presence of his wife, becoming the biggest red haired pussy cat on the planet. Of course, having walked in on them a few times in the middle of sex told him they were ok in that area, his mother was frighteningly limber for her size. They still acted like teenagers themselves when they thought no one was looking. It was a common trait here among his family and friends. If they loved someone, it was all or nothing.

The night chased the sun away, draping the world outside the courtyard in darkness. Temperatures starting sliding as Thorin traditionally lit the logs, the torch he tossed igniting the gasoline soaked wood into a blazing inferno. He stood at one side with Dwalin and Nori in his wake, making a grand speech about the New Year and all the exciting things to come. It sounded more like a stockholder speech, geared towards the workers of both the Mine and the Ironworks. Finding it a bit odd, he looked to his left at Fili, only to find the most closed off expression he had ever seen on the man’s face. Looking around at the others who had gathered, he couldn’t help find that same look on many in the crowd. It was perplexing.

Bombur, Bofur and Dori walked among the different groups and couples distributing apples as well as pouring the hot wassail. The steam from the mugs mingled with the smoke from the fire, creating an interesting aroma in the wind. The singing began low on the far side as many took different stanzas of a carol making it into a signing round. The jokes started in about each other’s singing and who was better than whom. Time passed as older couples began retiring for the night, including his parents who grumbled about old bones as they walked by him. Others pulled out their pipes along with the harder stuff to go into their drink mugs.

Fili and Sigrid stood as well to retire or at least walk away from the smoke. She had a real reluctance lately to being around any tobacco, said the smell did something to her stomach. Fili grimaced at her while Gimli laughed. Fili had a serious love for his pipe, though his love for her was stronger if he put it away.

Barely able to wait until they were far enough away, Gimli asked the question that was upmost on his mind. “Ok, what gives?’

“What?” Fili looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Gimli scratched his fuzzy cheek, looking pointedly at his cousin. “You’ll find more cheer in a graveyard.”

Sigrid and Fili exchanged a look as they mounted the steps to his cabin, the singing still going on behind them. Since Kili had moved to Paris, the cabin hadn’t changed much, still two rockers on the porch. Gimli had not known what to might have changed but it was different not seeing Kili’s happy face tonight badly singing his made up lyrics.

“Take a seat.” Fili indicated to the other rocker, taking the one on the left.

“You want something else to drink, love?” Sigrid asked as she stood beside him, rubbing his cheek.

“Naw. You might want to go in. Yes, I will shower before I come to bed.” He groused at her look but Fili’s smile took out the sting of the words.

Sigrid handed Gimli’s phone to Fili before dropping a kiss on the younger man’s head as she walked pasted. Fili pocketed the phone with a grin as he pulled out his pipe, much to Gimli’s annoyance.

“You can have it back, I promise.” Fili snarked as he packed the pipe’s bowl tightly.

“You going to tell me what’s going on?” Gimli huffed as he took a seat.

“People aren’t happy. They aren’t happy about the Orcs and Spiders. Most of Durin’s Folk are just peeved at how Thorin pushed Kili.” Fili was snarling by the end. Gimli knew which side of the road Fili was on, the same side that his brother stood and vice versa.

“I can’t believe he left!” Gimli gushed quickly, not thinking.

Fili blew out a stream of smoke as he rocked in his chair. “He loves Tauriel and she loves him. Its not lust, no matter what Thorin thinks or says. You weren’t here so most of what you heard is secondhand but it’s the real deal. Plus, well, Thorin didn’t leave him a choice really, demanded Kili leave her.”

“I bet… with her being from Mirkwood but still..Are _you_ ok? With him gone? You two were tighter than most twins.” It was genuine concern that prompted the question but also because it was true. They had been each other’s best friends forever.

“I miss him and his doofus shit. But I know that he would have become bitter if he broke things off with her. I much rather he live in France and be happy then live here and be miserable. There is also the obvious benes of Sigrid running around in just her undies!” Fili laughed as Gimli groaned at him.

“What is up with you and Sigrid!? You have corrupted my dear friend, just FYI. Now you are trying to give my mentals of her in panties!” Gimli shuddered dramatically as Fili continued to laugh.

“Dude! I don’t know how you can say that! Your parents don’t always close the curtains before your mom saddles up!” Fili snickered making a whip cracking gesture with the sound.

“Not Listening ! Not Listening!” Gimli almost screamed, covering his ears.

They laughed for a moment as the singing got loud out by the fire, the ones that were left, Dwalin, Thorin, Oin. The Old Bachelors they were called by the courtyard residents since they had not married. Dis had not made an appearance, prompting Gimli to ask about her.

“She left for Paris, yesterday. It was a last minute thing since Kili has asked Tauriel to marry him. She wanted me to come since the Ironworks are shutdown until the New Year but…” Fili shrugged a little as he involuntarily looked over his shoulder.

“Sigrid?” Gimli was guessing when he asked not sure if his cousin would answer.

“Thorin. He’s been acting a little crazy lately and I want to keep an eye on him. You heard that speech tonight. The Mine is producing but with Kili and Frerin both gone, there is no quality control. I have been more active at the Ironworks but decisions are being made without my knowledge and at the last minute. It will get bad unless something changes.” Fili’s face looked grim in the shadows thrown out by the huge bonfire.

“I want things to work out, Fili.” Gimli told him emphatically. “I want to help where I can.”

His cousin turned his blond head and gave him a smile. “Hurry up and get your degree. Then we really can really raise some hell.”

They high fived each other with a laugh, chuckling still as Sigrid turned the porch light on. It must have been an obvious signal because Fili tapped out the embers from his pipe into the sand bucket at his feet. With a sigh, he tossed Gimli his cell before walking to the door. Taking it as his cue to leave, Gimli stood up making is way off the porch.

“Gimli. A word of advice.” Gimli turned to Fili as he stood at the door, his hand on the knob. “If you fall in love, don’t let them go. Dig in and hold on with everything you have. You will never regret it if you do.”

Fili walked inside without another word, leaving Gimli more confused that he had been in a while. His family’s love lives had become so convoluted, all jumbled in a tangled mess. Feeling sad for Kili and his love, for the obviousness that there were issues for Sigrid and Fili. His eighteen year old brain couldn’t find a quick fix for the problems.

Stamping his chilled feet to his parent’s cabin with a prayer to Mahal that their bedroom door was closed, Gimli swiped his phone to pull the any messages. There were several emails and updates with a few texts, though no missed calls. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he stopped at the landing to access the texts. His heart dropped to his knees when he read them.

**19:59~Legolas: I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If you do not have a ride from the airport, I would be happy to pick you up. Maybe grab dinner.. Let me know. Legolas.**

Gimli wanted to cry at the very proper message. Running inside, past his parents who were sitting on the couch not having sex and fully clothed, he ran into his bedroom and closed the door. Dropping to the floor by the bed, Gimli tried to get his breathing under control as he tugged off his gloves with his teeth. Laughing, his fingers flew over the smooth surface as he sent a reply in the same manner.

**20:30~Gimli: Dear Chauffer, a ride is appreciated. I will forward my itinerary via email. Dinner would be lovely, although I am not opposed to eating in bed. Gimli.**

It was the best Christmas present he could have received!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year to everyone !
> 
> Ok.. I went a little on the outside with this chapter.. Putting Bain as an "Arnor" scholar tickled me but I had to put Oxford because well that is where JRRT had taught.. Since Bain become King after Bard in LOTR, it seemed plausible to me that he would be a poli sci major in a modern context.
> 
> I love Sigrid as a character, I write her sassy and fun loving as a counterpoint to Fili and his 'heir apparent' worries. Adding a cousin, Girion was a bit of a stretch but I was thinking that it could be a family name.
> 
> Feedback is most appreciated, so don't be shy !


	9. Return to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So it's gonna be forever  
> Or it's gonna go down in flames  
> You can tell me when it's over  
> If the high was worth the pain
> 
> ~ Taylor Swift - Blank Space ~

Legolas pulled up to the cell phone parking as he waited for Gimli to text him. His tension level was higher than normal, making him crave a blunt to level out some. It was something about this town that ramped up his angst. When he had moved back to New Hampshire, his weed consumption had all but stopped, work being a more useful outlet of his aggression. Even with his father’s endless bullshit, Legolas hadn’t felt the overwhelming need like he did now. There were extra pressures involved that might be pushing his buttons but it had been years since he wanted to crawl into pipe or a bottle and never come out again.

Like now, he was making the choice to be here to pick up Gimli, not waiting for him to come to Russian Hill like a pizza delivery. He wanted the time with him, even if it was driving time. The very proper reply to his text had made him laugh, almost like Gimli was deliberately tweaking him. Text messaging today had eroded language down to a point where people almost couldn’t write anything without spell check. Legolas found he wanted to open Gimli up to find out everything there was about the snarky little fighter that made his body ache in very pleasant ways. Just not over a text message.

There had been no other communication between them expect the date and time of his flight. It had only made the excitement of the situation that much more. Legolas was all about giving the guy space, he just wasn’t sure what was too much space. Family was important, especially since they were not on the other coast. Seeing how close the Durinson clan had been in regards to Kili, Gimli must have missed them terribly. A nagfest from Legolas during his family time would have been reminder of things better left alone. So he waited.

From what he could tell, Gimli had caught an early plane with only one stop in Pittsburgh. If he hadn’t eaten there during his layover, he would be starving. Legolas had made dinner reservations at an excellent Italian place on a back alley of Nob Hill, since he knew Gimli preferred heavier fare. Changing his mind quickly, he called _Belleza’s_ to cancel the reservation before calling _Khan’s_ , a Mongolian BBQ place near his house for a few orders of their special ribs. If anything, those guys from Erebor were hardcore carnivores.

The phone pinged with an incoming text message. Legolas fumbled for a moment, unsure and completely clumsy. Gimli had his bags, making his way to the entrance of Terminal one.   Backing out of is space, Legolas was careful as he drove up the ramp to the main concourse for Terminal one curbside pickups. Too many people saw Porshe and thought they could collect a payday. It had gotten to the point where he thought to buy something as a daily driver around the city to reduce the possibility of accidents. The Turbo was an agile thing, helping him get away from an old Honda that was determined to have Legolas rearrange his back bumper.

Getting a good spot by the door, Legolas threw the SUV in park with his heart in this throat as he popped the door locks. A tickling thrill raced down his spine, giving him a shiver as Gimli hurried his way out of the terminal. Legolas swallowed convulsively as his cock filled and lengthened in his pants at the sight of the young man. Desire wound through his body like the softest ribbon, causing his thoughts to unravel a little at the time.

Gimli opened the back passenger door, tossing the coat in first then his luggage. He had done that the last time, having a care for the leather seats without being told. It made Legolas smile at his consideration. The back door slammed, just as Gimli hurried into the front seat. The roguish smile on his face almost made Legolas blush like a school girl. He looked good in a tan Columbia pullover and jeans, comfort for the long flight being a must.

“Hiya.” He said, the smile getting wider.

“Hi.” Legolas turned away to put the Porsche in drive but also so that Gimli couldn’t see his anxiety.

“I almost hate to ask but can you stop at some gas station? I have got to piss and didn’t stop when I got off the plane.” The smirk turned sheepish as Gimli gave him a puppy dog stare with his warm brown eyes.

“Yeah, sure.” Taking north Airport road, he stopped at the Shell station that looked nicer than it was. Gimli hopped out and was gone in a blink.

Legolas locked the doors as a few people walked back and forth from the cars to the station. Lately since he had sober, he had taken to carrying a steel Khanjar dagger that had been a gift from Tauriel a few years ago. She might have preferred her Khurkuri but the Khanjar’s curved lines worked better for him. The only thing he liked more was the Venetian rounded stilettos as a parrying blade. But those sleek beauties were still in Mirkwood.

The passenger door handle flipped grabbing Legolas’ attention. Gimli’s cocked his head to the side as he pointed down at the lock. Legolas let him him, taking a bottle of water that was offered. Putting the bottle in the cupholder between them, he felt a hand brush his cheek. As he looked up, Gimli kissed him slowly, moaning against his lips.

Fingers tangled in his hair as he worked for a better angle, slanting his mouth for a deeper entry. He let his tongue glide against Gimli’s in a slow sexy tango that had the shorter man grasping his shoulders. He feasted on him, letting his hands wander up and down Gimli’s legs. Twisting in his seat to get closer, Legolas felt almost starved for him.

Gimli shoved him back with a gasping laugh. “If we don’t stop, I will fuck you right here in the parking lot. Mahal knows I want you but Legolas put the car in drive!”

He wanted to protest, really he did. Just a few more minutes of his lips, Legolas thought as he reached for him once more. The idea of making out in a gas station parking lot made him giggle. Maybe there was some school girl in him after all? Gimli physically put his hand on the wheel, trying to put the car in drive. Knowing he was right didn’t help Legolas any, he wanted to return that warm place he had been with Gimlis’ lips against his.

Traffic was thicker now than it had been earlier, the midafternoon rush had started on the Bayshore Freeway. The radio was on a light jazz station, comfortable background noise. Gimli wiggled in the seat as he tried to discreetly adjust his hard cock. The idea of a hard cock in close proximity wasn’t stopping his own erection from beginning to hurt.

The Sierra Point marina was on the right as they hit the bridge. Legolas wanted a boat some days, just to be able to sail away and live on the water without a care in the world. One day when he retired he thought as they passed over the bridge. His companion was silent now, staring out the window, his breath frosting the cold glass.

Legolas didn’t push for conversation topics, it was obvious that Gimli was worn a bit. He asked him about the ribs, getting a smile from the redhead. The jetlag would hit hard if he ate heavy but Legolas looked forward to him staying for a while. Double parking on Broadway could be tricky but he was fast as he ran in for the order. Fan knew him by sight and had his order rung up as he stepped up to the counter. A few cars had started blowing their horns as Legolas got back outside, packing the food in the back seat floorboard.

Gimli snickered at the rudeness of the locals as they drove off, taking a left against the light on Webster. The roads were so grid like here on Russian Hill, nothing compares to large city layouts. Making the right on Green, Legolas let out the breath he had been holding, excited to finally be home. Most of the large older homes on Green street had long been cut up into apartments and condos as property values skyrocketed in the trendy sections. Sindarin House was the last of its size that was still a single residence.

Gimli reached over to him as he shut off the car, his thumb grazing across a cheekbone. It was easy, that simple contact. Gimli had no qualms while Legolas himself hesitantly traced the lines of Gimli’s neck with shaking fingers. It was never because Legolas didn’t want to touch, he was always unsure of the reception. Thranduil would never be considered a hugger, neither had his mother from what he remembered, nor the succession of nannies that he and Tauriel had been subjected. Maybe that was why he had always looked for love from Tauriel, having found it nowhere else.

Gimli took the food and coat while Legolas grabbed his bags. He had not wanted to presume that he was staying, just grabbed them before he had thought it out. Gimli said nothing as they walked inside and Legolas left them in the front parlor, taking the food into the kitchen. Legolas walked in just in time to catch a view of Gimli stretching his arms out high over his head, making his spine pop as well as his shoulders.

“I didn’t think about how tired you would be when I made the reservations. Belleza’s is fantastic but changed my mind while I waited to pick you up.” Legolas began as Gimli pulled the sweatshirt off, catching a peak at the auburn hair on his belly before he pulled down his white tshirt that rode up his chest.

“Good thinking. I probably would have fell asleep at the table!” Gimli tossed the coat and pullover into a chair as he raked his fingers through his curls.

“Why don’t you take a hot shower? I will bring you something light if you want to take a nap. These ribs will keep until later.” He was trying to be courteous, even with his cock beating itself against his zipper.

“That sounds good.” Gimli told him as he walked out of the room. “You can wash my back!”

Legolas stared at the fridge as his brain played out the fantasy of Gimli’s back, Gimli’s ass. Fucking Gimli’s ass in the shower while giving him a handjob. Nibbling on his neck as the hot water washed them clean. Legolas had never made sandwiches so fast in his life.

 

******************

Later that evening after they became thoroughly washed and very well dried, the two of them lay sprawling on blankets as they completed a makeshift picnic in Legolas’ bedroom. Gimli had ended up in the driver’s seat for the first ‘welcome home’ fuck because he asked so sweetly. Legolas couldn’t refuse, loving the course feel of him rubbing along his back.

 _Big Trouble in Little China_ played on the big screen TV but the sound was low, specific dialogue catching their attention for impromptu convos. Both agreed that Kurt Russell was the man back in his heyday but it was hard to dismiss the sheer presence of Viggo in _Eastern Promises_. Finding out that Gimli was a cinema buff had been a real treat. The open debate about who was the best Batman ended in a naked wrestling match that became something else entirely.

Legolas couldn’t help but snicker at the bbq stains on the eighteen hundred dollar duvet. But it was either duvet or the floor, so the duvet lost. He point blank refused to let the little carnivore lick the sauce off his nipples while the kink factor alone had his cock getting hard for round number three. He would never be able to eat at _Khan’_ s again without an erection.

Gimli had to call his parents after the shower fucking, letting them know he was back and safe. Apparently, their household was multilingual as Gimli began speaking French with an odd accent that Legolas couldn’t place. The convo wasn’t about him so he didn’t feel as if Gimli had switched to French intentionally. As he hung up with a “Jetaime trop maman”, Legolas had asked him “Alors, comment sont vos parents ce soir?” Finding out they both were fluent had starting a whole other discussion in another language of life in general.

Gimli could speak Arabic as well as French with ease. His mother spoke some Berber but had not tried to teach Gimli as he was already working on three languages as a child. Legolas spoke of learning French from private tutors, along with Catalan and Occitan. Tauriel could speak them too but was better with French than Occitan. Speaking of her with Gimli had become so much easier, it was like a bridge had been crossed opening up the damaged areas of his soul.

“I heard she and Kili are engaged.” Gimli said as he licked his fingers, watching his reaction.

“I know. I heard.” Legolas said with a shrug, there had been time enough to get past whatever stress the news might have caused. “I’m glad she’s happy.”

Legolas looked at him as he said the words, hoping that his lover would see the truth. That chapter was closed, life had opened another. It was time to start living again instead of hiding away. Gimli nodded accepting what he said.

“There is something I want to say, Leg. Before this becomes whatever it becomes.” The redhead slid closer, putting a wandering hand on Legolas’ calf. “I want to know if you are still using.”

“What do you mean?” Legolas gave a confused look as he wiped his mouth.

“The weed, Legolas. How much are you going through?” Gimli stared hard at him as he leaned toward him.

“I haven’t smoked any since before Christmas. Why is it an issue?” Where was he going with this?

“Look, I don’t care what you do when I’m gone. But if you have to be high to be with me, it feels like…. an insult. That is why I didn’t fuck you on that table at Aranel’s.“ His expression turned grim, like this was a deal breaker.

“Sometimes being high, the sex is better.” Legolas snickered, but Gimli didn’t laugh with him.

“I was with a guy one night who was high. He kept calling me a girl’s name as he fucked me in the ass. Kept grabbing at my chest like I had tits. To this day, I don’t think he knew who he was in bed with that night.” He was getting frustrated, Legolas could see it. So he caved, because he didn’t want Gimli to feel like he was worthless in his bed.

“No weed. What is your stance on booze?” Legolas wasn’t sure how much fun this situation would be sober but it was worth a shot.

“Alcohol is a depressant. How are you going to feel the first time you want to fuck and can’t get it up?” Gimli laughed now, jovial at mental image he was painting.

“I could be blind staggering drunk, puking up my stomach lining from alcohol poisoning and still have a hard dick to jump your ass!” Legolas drew Gimli into a quick kiss as he stood up to take the trash downstairs.

“Ok. Ok! Moderation then. I just want you to want to be with me.” Gimli said with a laugh but the grin slipped away as legolas looked at him.

“I do want to be with you.” Legolas cupped the side of his lover’s face before tugging on his ear, flashing him a warm smile.

What were they gotten themselves into?      

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading ! The restaurants I used are based off actual places in Nob Hill and Russian Hill but I changed the names. I just had to throw in the part about Viggo.. he was the best Aragorn!
> 
> French phrases  
> Jetaime trop maman - I love you mom  
> Alors, comment sont vos parents ce soir - How are your parents tonight?


	10. Gentle Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All problems just a toy balloon  
> They'll be bursted soon  
> They're just bound to go pop  
> Oops there goes another problem kerplop
> 
> ~Frank Sinatra - High Hopes ~

 

“You and the Dwarf are becoming quite close.” Aranel smirked over his brandy as they relaxed after dinner.

Legolas had decided to treat Aranel to a night out at Harrison’s Steakhouse as a consolation prize for skipping his New Year’s Eve party. The impractical hopes that an excellent porterhouse would soothe his ruffled feathers had worked more than Legolas had imagined as Aranel grinned at him from the armchair to his right. Legolas and Penny had a quiet dinner at Sinbad’s New Year’s Eve instead of the going to Nob Hill so that they could watch the fireworks over the bay. As always, it had been a spectacular night both the food and the pyrotechnics. But Aranel had been a whiny little bitch ever since, sending snarky texts or making comments when in each other’s company. It was getting old.

“Gimli’s from my area of the backwoods. I can’t have a stain associated with my name so I thought I would act as a mentor of sorts. Even the most disgusting redneck rich need a guiding hand.” Legolas chuckled while inside he fumed at the vain peacock beside him.

He and Gimli had agreed on a strategy for the length of their attraction, a way to excuse their time together.  It wasn’t unusual for Sigmas to mentor new members, to guide them in appropriate areas. The amount of money involved in their lives, it was irresponsible not too. Thranduil had been his mentor, though via long distance which allowed for his mass consumption of cannabis. Gimli had been unsure at first but once it made the rounds that Legolas was his backer, a lot of things suddenly became easier at school.

“Redneck rich? Too funny.” Aranel snickered before taking a sip of his Brandy, brushing at his pants leg.

Legolas stared at the amber swirl in his glass as he continued to say things that made the salmon he had eaten twist unhappily. “Nouveau riche would be step up for them. They have a motorcycle club for Valar’s sake, very Hells Angels. Though it can’t be disputed that they are moneyed.” Giving a fake shudder, Legolas uncrossed and crossed his legs.

“I had thought that you didn’t like him. You two seemed at odds before Christmas.” There was a sharp look in his direction that made Legolas’ stomach plummet. He knew that laser stare, having seen it on his father’s face.

Legolas replied in an offhand manner. “His cousin and my father do not get on well. I just reminded him we are both a long way from New Hampshire and it is a completely different pond here. He understands. Thank gods, he’s trainable, not blindingly stupid like that Texan, Theodred!”

He would have to talk to Gimli later about what he had said to Aranel, not trusting the weasel to not try and cause trouble. What was between he and Gimli was still new and like a new car, they were test driving it. Misunderstandings would ruin what could be a good thing, destroying the delicate trust that grew each day. But Legolas despised what he was doing, hated being this fake. Life was so much more simple in the forest, hunting their enemies, killing to protect his family and his home. The mind games that seethed in the shadows was a complete parody of what life should be like. Tumbling down the rabbit hole of depressing thoughts, Legolas almost missed the verbal thrust in their unlikely conversation.

“Oh I don’t know, Denethor thought well enough of him. You know Denethor was the head of the Alumi after your father stepped down.” Aranel gave a shrug of indifference. “Theo’s family are land rich but also very politically connected. I spoke to Denethor not too long ago. He was interested in maybe my cousin Runa as a possible bride for the loutish Texan.”

There had been actually nothing wrong with Theodred from Edoras, Texas. He might have been a little too bowlegged with a slower drawl than was fashionable but the golden blond looks were _Playgirl_ worthy. A good egg by all accounts but Theodred wasn’t astute to the verbal fencing, or maybe he just didn’t want to be. He had come from a strong military background, his father being a West Point grad who had served as Chief of Staff at NATO. Threodred had finished his year at Berkeley then transferred to Sandhurst Military School as a freshman cadet.

Legolas laughed genuinely, taking the bait. “I doubt there is enough society in Texas to make your cousin happy!”

Legolas felt the jaws of the trap slam shut as Aranel now had the opener he had wanted to change the course of the conversation. “Runa said she saw you Christmas Eve.”

“She did, I was at the Stonetown.” Legolas laid his head back in the thickly padded Queen Anne chair, closing his eyes, wishing for his lover. Gimli had a late class tonight which was why Legolas chose it for the makeup meeting with Aranel.

“Runa is quite pretty, you know. You could do worse than her for a wife.” The peacock had turned into a vulture as his expression became excited. Why had he never noticed it until now? Legolas thought as he opened his eyes.

Like most of the Elven family, Aranel had the brown hair and muddy green eyes that could be politely called hazel in certain lights. The firelight this evening made them look voracious like he could feast on humanity with a smile on his bloody lips. His rusty sense of self protection was starting jingle like sleigh bells, making Legolas sit up straighter. The Smoking Room upstairs at Harrison’s wasn’t the ideal place for a physical altercation but one can’t always pick their battle grounds or know every trick up his opponent’s sleeve. Not sure he wanted this make-nice date any longer, Legolas decided to change the game to bypass whatever his companion had planned.

“Speaking of pretty, I remember you saying that you knew someone at Bulgari. I am going to go ahead with my plans to ask Penny to marry me.” Giving him a hopefully bland smile, Legolas finished the last of his brandy. Casting new bait in the verbal shark tank would yield interesting results.

Aranel’s expression closed with a snap as he leaned back into his chair. “I will send you a text so that you can make an appointment.”

That was odd, Legolas thought as watched his longtime acquaintance transitioned into the frenemy category. Aranel had been very keen on Legolas and Penny’s relationship, only now it seems that it wasn’t quite the good idea any longer. Time to add more chum to the mix.

With a smile, Legolas told him. “What do you think about a Mayday wedding?”

Aranel sneered something about a bachelor party, a complete bacchanal of lascivious delights making Legolas laugh and stand to leave. There was the habitual shaking of hands as the two parted ways. Gentlemen coming in and gentlemen leaving, everything else in between settled. He could see that this relationship wouldn’t last much longer, whatever was up Aranel’s sleeve would bite Legolas in the ass at some point.

The valet brought the new Audi back smiling at the tip. Thranduil had the car delivered without a comment last month after Legolas had sent an email about wanting something more low key. He might have had ideas of a nice Jeep or a Honda but his father wanted things his own way. The Audi was a wonderful vehicle with every luxury possible, but it was still more snooty than Legolas wanted. Gimli had looked at him with a leer when he rolled up to Berkeley. The backseat wasn’t as comfy as the Porshe which they found out later that night.

Legolas drove out of the Valet lane into the small self parking to the restaurant’s side. Checking his email and messages, he replied to the criticals but shelving the others until he got back home. He sent a snarky quote to Gimli about being free at last though he knew his lover was still in class. A reply to his reply popped on his screen from his manager in Greenleaf construction. The name made him snigger.

Legolas had found with Gimli away most of the day now, he needed a project. Looking over his father’s operations in California, he took over a modest construction company in charge of stripping the teak wood out of shipping containers from China. The Teakwood was very valuable while the leftover containers were taking up real estate. With the growing trend for downsizing, Legolas began working on ideas for using the containers as green homes and underground vaults. The idea of vaults appealed to his social set, the green homes were greatly favored by the environmentally conscious. Thranduil had been surprised by the turn around but pleasantly, giving his approval for the go ahead for his next potential cash cow.

As the car warmed slowly, Legolas saw Aranel pile into his very elegant very new Mercedes sedan and take a street that lead him out of the Mission district. Legolas continued to watch until the tail lights were no longer visible. He would never admit to being the financial genius that Thranduil was, his father was busy getting those people in place for when he finally retired. No, Legolas when he was sober understood people, had to learn at a very young age about motivation as well as intent. While he could be blind to those he loved, Legolas was formidable if he had no feelings in the game.

So taking a step back, he could see that suddenly Aranel has a lot of money floating around him when he really shouldn’t. The lovely large house on Nob Hill, a new luxury car and if he missed his guess, thousand dollar hookers at his new lovely house once a month. And he was pushing for him to take a second look at Runa? Why?

Activating his Bluetooth in the car, Legolas wanted answers. He had let Penny know about the Runa run in over the Christmas holiday. She had been tense, very tense at her cousin’s name but her smile didn’t slip one bit as they carried on with the dinner at her family’s house. Legolas respected loyalty, having drilled into him at young age. The fact that Penny had kept some of her composure in the face of a family coup but didn’t dissolve into rants, pushed her up a few rungs on the respect ladder. But Aranel getting involved like this was a problem.

Penny picked up on the second ring, her voice its happy musical lint. “Hi you!”

In my dreams maybe, Legolas thought. “Good evening Ms. Pennestan. How was conservatory meeting?”

“Very good! I am just finishing dinner with the conductor and his wife. How was your dinner with my cousin?” Penny played the violin like a true artist but had never tried out for the symphony but she patron it at every opportunity.

“You are still in the city? I wanted to talk to you about Aranel but not over the phone.” It would be harder to read her on a cell, besides she needed to know what was happening. Legolas didn’t want to sow discord in the Elven family but he needed to know who he could trust.

“Sure. I am at French Laundry but I can meet you at the Sierra Pointe? In fifteen minutes?” There were questions in her voice but Penny would never dare ask in front of others. She understood discretion.

“Perfect. You keep indulging my love of water, I will end up buying a boat!” Legolas’ laughed as she joined him. Their relationship had become so very easy lately, it was hard not to like her.

“A boat is a small thing if you makes you smile. See you in 15.” She hung up, not allowing her comment to make him feel uncomfortable or force him to say something he didn’t want to say yet. He would call Bulgari in the morning, making up his mind.

The drive was a bit longer for him but it gave him time to formulate what he wanted to ask in a way that would get the answers he needed. Legolas didn’t relish the idea of conducting an inquisition at least not on Penny but if he gave a little maybe she would too. The Elven family was old in San Francisco, one of the first blue blood families to settle and thrive. Not all second sons of the eastern affluent who came west stayed there, either missing their soft living or too impatient to be successful. The first Sindarin might have come a decade or so later after the Elvens but they had stuck around for the long haul.

Pulling into the parking lot, he could see that Penny had already arrived. She swung out of the sporty BMW convertible straightening her coat as she walked towards him. He saw her headlights flash as the German vehicle locked its doors, but she herself had not brought her purse. Her deep mahogany hair was in a simple French twist as the wind tugged a few strand loose. Penny was a tall woman but in the three inch heels she was a shade under six feet tall.

Putting the car in park, Legolas made to get out of the car but stopped when she waived him away. Shaking his head, he disengaged the door locks to allow her entry as he settled back inside. Penny wasn’t frivolous, demanding every courtesy. Some women, Runa included, would have stood outside with a look until someone opened the door for her.

Legolas gave her a kiss on the cheek, he wasn’t comfortable with more. She gave him a bright smile, flashing a charming dimple. Placing her gloved hand in his for a moment, Legolas drove to the end of the lot with a wonderful view of the bay water. Boats in their slips bobbed on the rough current tonight as a fog horn blew in the distance. Seeing her bright guileless smile, Legolas threw out all of his conversation tactics, he didn’t feel like sparing any longer.

“Penny, I need to know what is happening with you, Runa and Aranel. Particularly Aranel.” Legolas relayed the conversation tonight with a few of his impressions. The more he spoke the more tense Penny became. “I don’t understand, Penny. I need some help here.”

“Would you prefer Runa, Legolas?” She turned away as she asked the question, not looking at his face. “I mean would you prefer to spend your time with Runa than me.”

“No.” Legolas knew that he wouldn’t want that grasping backbiter if he had to choice between the two. “I want to understand what is going on here. I can’t make sense of it.”

“I don’t know what is going on, either. Something changed just before Christmas.” Penny’s voice hitched quietly before she got herself back under control. “Aranel and his wife held a family dinner party at their house. Runa had just arrived home for her new job, staying with Aranel until she finds a place.”

“Well that is convenient.” Legolas snarked. Legolas wouldn’t be staying at the Painted Lady for parties from now on.

“Yes, but the party was strange. Aranel kept finding me at different times that night asking me about Sindarin companies and what I knew about their dealings. I kept telling him I knew nothing about it. You and I don’t talk business when we are together. By the end of the night, Aranel made a snide remark that if I was going to be your wife I needed to involve myself in how Sindarin Inc. leans in business dealings.” Legolas could see the fear on her face as she finished. Penny was concerned by what she told him, what he would do. “I know Aranel and my father got into an argument after you left Christmas Day. I don’t know why.”

“Aranel has a lot of new money. He is very interested in Sindarin businesses. He wants me to date Runa instead of you. The money can be traced in other ways, I can do that. But the other stuff, Runa works at a museum. She is an art major.” There were too many pieces but none of them fit together. “If Runa as competition to make you commit to seeing me, I could understand. But it doesn’t feel right.”

Penny shook her head quietly. “No, Legolas you are so wrong. Runa wasn’t an art major. She graduated from the Wharton School before taking an art study program at Sorbonne. That was how she was invited to intern at the Louvre.”

“Wharton school?” Legolas looked at Penny sharply as the introduction of a shiny new piece helped move the puzzle along, at least brought a picture into focus.

“Yes, but like I said so much is changing in the family right now. I didn’t know about Aranel’s New Year’s Eve party until you told me. You were invited but I was not.” The embarrassed sadness on her face made him ache a little. “It isn’t like it used to be. They weren’t always like this.”

The ideas that formed in his head were not of his liking. Legolas pulled Penny into his arms, not sure of what was happening to their world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say I apologize.. there isn't any hot Gimli action in this chapter.. ;o) 
> 
> I went a little OOC with Theodred and Théoden but it plays better in Part 7? which is Eomercentric.. I swear I am never going to finish this.. lol...
> 
> Thank you so much for continuing to read my humble efforts.. Part 5 The Road Goes Ever On will be posted this week.. Tauriel is sooooo badass! I just love it


	11. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On my own I'm just another cold rainy day  
> Waiting for the wind to come along and take me away  
> But she's just a breeze on a sunny day  
> Unless the two of us together  
> Man, we're blown away
> 
> Like thunder and lightning go in the one  
> Together we make the perfect storm  
> You're like the wind I'm like the rain  
> Together we both make hurricanes
> 
> ~ The Script - Hurricanes ~

The last few weeks had helped them settle into a comfortable routine. Gimli had a full schedule which consumed a lot of his time. The classes were a bit more demanding this semester but he was finding his groove, getting to know his professors. Legolas was still seeing Penny during the week, mostly Wednesdays when he had a late class. Jealousy was a vicious green eyed monster, making Gimli wonder exactly what they did together though he refused to outright ask. But Thursday and Saturday nights, Gimli would spend that time in Legolas’ bed. Oh by Mahal’s hammer, did he look forward to those nights.

Gimli had come by last night though they barely made it out of the front parlor before Legolas was tearing into his pants, blowing him on the stairs. His lover was learning better techniques, paying closer attention to Gimli’s triggers by his breathing. When they finally made it to the bedroom, there had been a trail of clothes behind them all the way down the stairs. Gimli had bottomed for Legolas last night too for the first time, letting the blond find his stride as he fucked Gimli’s ass with slow strokes. The Sindarin hadn’t needed much instruction, almost instinctive knowing what was needed to make it good for the man underneath him. He had not wanted to make too much of the experience though he had come so much harder with just the thought of the tall blond behind him, Legolas….

Outside of their routine as they liked to call it since neither could use the term ‘relationship’, things were stressful. Legolas had filled him in the dinner with Aranel and the after meeting with Penny, making sure that Gimli knew all that transpired. The Sindarin’s honesty was endearing, holding his hands as he gave up all the dirt. What Legolas said to the pretentious prick stung though Gimli could see how even now it had ate at his lover to be so false. Navigating a Spider nest was easier than this. Gimli had been properly pissed about the Elven bastard’s inquiries in Sindarin business interests, more so than Legolas who was just perplexed at the why of it. To Gimli, the why of it didn’t matter, the who needed to be dealt with and soon.

“Let’s spar today.” Gimli said from the floor as he worked on a paper for class. “California is making me soft.”

Legolas looked at him from the growing stack of paperwork spread out on the couch beside him, the expression grim. Gimli was learning or at least trying to learn the blonde’s moods, but it was slow. If he had to guess just by watching the tightening of some areas and loosening of others, Legolas didn’t want too. Time would make him rusty if he didn’t keep up with his skills, muscle memory loss was bitch.

Gimli stood up from the floor, his ass giving a bit of a twinge at another muscle memory. “Come on, the exercise will loosen you up some. Where is the weapon’s storage?”

“Downstairs. I thought you needed to work on some math equations for class?” Legolas made notes his tablet as he picked up another sheet of paper. For a family who crowed that they were for saving the environment, they went through a ton of paper.

“I need a break. Numbers and letters are starting to run together.” He shrugged. It wasn’t just the numbers, Gimli wanted to get out of the house for a bit.

“For your information, I run every morning. The hills are great for the hammys.” Legolas snickered. “Since someone is still in bed when I go, you have no room to talk about exercise.”

“All the more reason for you to be a good mentor and help me. I’m lazy and you should set a good example.” Gimli reached forward to tug the groaning man from the couch so they could dress. There was no way they could do a full work out in only their boxers in forty degree temperatures.

Dressing together had become problematic, one or the other would notice a patch of skin that they wanted to touch or taste which always led to other activities. Gimli had known from the first week in Cali that he had a very healthy sexual appetite, something that he had leashed in Dale for the sake of his sanity. He had not been a complete slut since moving here but he tried the menu so to speak. Men and women of all varieties. But here with Leg, the trouser snake was off the chain and very vocal about what he wanted.

Sigrid had been right though. He had made the right choice coming here. Had he indulged himself in New Hampshire, he would have been labeled gay even if he decided later that he wasn’t really into men or that he wanted woman too. The Family had a bad habit of pigeon holing a person, then not allowing them to change later. A person who changes isn’t the same, they can’t be treated the same which it screws up the preconceived ideas of behavior. His cousin, Fili was an excellent example of that type of blindness.

“Did I tell you that I had an email from my cousin, Fili?” Gimil asked with a smile as they walked down the back stairs to the basement.

“No, you didn’t.” Legolas went first, turning on the lights as he went.

“He wants me to submit an application to be a Prospect for the MC! Can you believe that?” Gimli said as he fingered a spider web as he passed. “I take it Len the housekeeper doesn’t get down here often?”

“Is the club something you want? To join?” Legolas stopped at the bottom to stare up at him as he walked down. “Len doesn’t like down here, not that I blame her.”

Len was really an excellent housekeeper, coming Monday through Friday for a few hours. A handsomely efficient woman in her mid fifties, Legolas had said that Mrs. Telerin was a closet spy for father. Gilmi had not met her, leaving in the early mornings before she came, so some parts of Leg’s life were still his. Though whether or not comments were made about the condoms and lube stained towels, he couldn’t say.

“Yes and no. If I want to live in the courtyard, it will be easier if I am. But really, I don’t think I do. There would be no privacy in the cabins.” Gimli gave him a smirk as he joined him. “I have never rode a bike on my own, so there is that. I will cross that bridge when I move back.”

The walls were concrete blocks with columns of the same for holding up the house above them. The blocks had some noticeable age though the mortar looked in good shape. There were large Rubbermaid totes stacked against one wall beside a metal work table and floor to ceiling pegboard. It looked mainly like a storage area with the prerequisite shovels and gas cans. No other large equipment save a snow blower, Thranduil employed a lawn care service for the grounds.

“This way.” Legolas walked to the pegboard only to lift a panel away by what Gimli would have thought were screws.

A portal into the wall jawed open before them, dark and cavernous with the screwdrivers on the wall acting like the jagged teeth. Legolas went first again, flipping a switch to the left side. Gimli followed, seeing the wide space was full of every type of edged weapon possible. Swords looked to be ranked by country and period. No broadswords that he could see at first glance, mostly the curved Japanese styles. A few spears and Arabian javelins were layered amongst large knives and axes. Gimli spied a particularly nice tactical axe that would look lovely over his bed. Or Legolas’, basically it didn’t matter where it hung, only that Gimli had access to it in a hurry.

“See anything you like, Mr. Durinson?” Leg snarked as he took two pairs of ebony sticks to a metal table in the center of the room. “Take the axe if you like it. I can see that you do.”

There were jars of different oils for cleaning the treasure trove on the walls, though they all had a fine layer of dust from disuse. Gimli shook his head as he walked to the table to look at what Legolas was doing, leaving the axe in its place. The ebony rods were about twenty four inches in length, about an inch thick each. Indonesian unless Gimli was quite wrong, used to train fighters. It was a better idea than using the swords and axes.

The blond methodically wound a cloth strip at one end for padding so any strikes would be blunted. It would still hurt like a bitch but maybe no real damage. Gimli watched as he patiently continued to the next, counting the layers.

“Aranel is having a party tonight.” Legolas told him as used a small strip of duct tape to fasten the end when he was finished.

“I know, I brought clothes if you wanted to make an appearance.” Legolas made a face at the suggestion which Gimli took as a no. Good, he thought he really wanted to chase Leg into bed again.

“I need to figure out this shit with Runa. So maybe an hour? You need to go anyway.” The smile that lit up his face almost stole Gimli’s breath at his beauty. When he was relaxed and happy, Legolas was a supermodel without a runway.

“I would rather stay in and so would you!” Gimli snarled stubbornly as he went back to make a slow circuit of the walls for a better look at the weapons.

“We have been over this, the more you associate, the more connections you have. That is important. I can’t keep you tied up in my red room, now can I?” Legolas laughed at his own joke, picking up the third stick.

“Its actually green and silver.” Gimli laughed as he picked up an intricately tooled leather quiver.

There were scrolled trees in a band which wrapped like a ribbon around the side. It was gorgeous workmanship, vaguely familiar in execution. Did Kili have one like this? There were leather knife sheaths on the next wall with the same tree design on dusty exteriors. The weapons needed to be cleaned and oiled, Gimli thought as he picked a bow that had been beside the quiver on the rack. Legolas turned to say something, but he drew back closing his mouth with a frown when he spied what was in Gimli’s hands.

“Why don’t you practice, Leg?” Gimli pressed gently when he could see the blond beginning to stress.

“Put it back, please.” Legolas shook his head, not looking at the bow and quiver. “I can’t, not anymore..”

“Why?” Gimli asked once more. He didn’t move to return the items he had taken from the wall.

“I just can’t..Let it go please?!” Legolas started to beg as he hunched in on himself, hiding his face away in pain.

“There are still Spiders there, Orcs too. Smaug is a threat to your home as much as mine. The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for a good man to do nothing.” Gilmi walked closer, trying to get his attention. “Come on, William Tell. You can do this.”

“How can I be a good man? Every time I draw, I see an arrow ripping across Tauriel’s back!” Legolas turned his back to a stunned Gilmi, as he threw the stick on the table. “I didn’t want to hurt her, hell I didn’t even think! I just saw her leaving Mirkwood, leaving _us_ and reacted. I’m not even sure of where I was aiming.”

Gilmi, uncertain of his course, walked to his lover who had begun to cry in deep sobs. “Leg, listen. I wasn’t there and I don’t know if it would help but she made her choice. Tauriel loves him, would take an arrow for him. As would he. Durinsons love hard and true and never let go.”

“Part of me hated the fact that she didn’t love me like that. Another part is glad because she…” He stopped as a round of gasping started what he wasn’t ready to admit.

“Because she’s your sister.” Gimli finished for him, stroking his face to wipe the tears away. Legolas nodded as he looked at him now, pain so evident on his face.

Gilmi pulled Legolas in his arms, holding him tight as the blond got himself under control.   The enmity he felt right now towards Thranduil couldn’t be measured. His scheming viciousness was ruining his son’s life and almost cost him his daughter. Legolas snuggled close, needing an anchor as the storm of his dark feelings passed away. It only made Gimli angrier at what he was going through.

“It gets easier, Leg. Time heals all wounds.” Gimli breathed the words against his lover’s neck, wishing on every star in heaven that they were true.

Gimli continued to stroke up and down his back, as his breathing slowed almost to a normal cadence. The thick material of the Under Armour sweatshirt warmed his hands as he flexed his fingers into the bunched muscles on his spine, hoping he would relax some. Gimli knew that this was beyond his ability to help, Legolas was at some point going to have to consider therapy. All he could do was be there for him, give him a shoulder if he wanted it.

Light bulbs in the corners of the room began to blink in a steady pattern as Gimli pulled back from the man in his arms. Legolas looked confused for a moment at Gimli but then the bulbs began to flash once more, he huffed a sigh.

“Someone is at the door. The bells do not make it through the concrete.” Legolas touched Gimli’s face before heading topside.

Two men stood at the door, one looked like an accountant complete with a small briefcase while the other was either a cop or exmilitary but he was the muscle. Legolas allowed them entry though Gimli took a more aggressive stance than was necessary at the bodyguard. Gimli was pissed that he hadn’t bothered to bring anything up from the basement, Cali was really making him slipt! The man in black for his part clued in immediately, becoming rigid as steel. It was like two pitbulls were squaring off in a dogfight for a juicy bone.

“Gimli, stand down.” Legolas told him as he ushered the smaller man to the parlor, reading the proffered card. “I wasn’t expecting you until Monday.”

“We were most excited that you chose us, Mr. Sindarin.” The little man nervously edging around Gimli to follow Legolas into the well light interior. “It was given top priority! We called before coming but it went to voicemail.”

“Your dedication is most appreciated.” Legolas said with a smile, though his emotions looked like he switched them off. “My apologies for your wait. My phone is upstairs, so I didn’t receive your call.”

The little man beamed opened the case with a key given to his by the bodyguard as well as a folded note containing a combination code. Gimli watched with confusion but he didn’t enter the main room, standing off to the side of the entrance beside the security guy. The man handed Legolas a case from the bottom, but also pulling out a sheaf of papers that had been tucked inside with it. It was a black box, shiny in the light.

Legolas popped the shiny black box lid, only to drop a velvet jewelry box into the palm of his other hand. The dull black square was not the standard shape that Gimli had seen at Erebor. Very fancy with softer edges and gold stylized letters at the top, but Gimli couldn’t make out what the letters spelled from his vantage point. Legolas opened the box, the hedge creaking in protest. The blond stared at the contents a moment before exhaling into his professional smile.

“Very impressive. I want to thank you for all of your hard work. I assume I need to sign for the delivery?” He continued to smile that fake grin to the point where Gimli could feel the flesh crawling on the back of his neck.

The guy almost tripped over himself, brandishing a gold pen to Legolas to sign whatever it was that he had just bought. He put down the box to take the pen and began sign on four different lines to complete the purchase.

“We thank you most sincerely, Mr. Sindarin and would like to offer our congratulations as well. If there is anything else we at Bulgari might do?” The man handed a piece of paper as well as an embossed file to Legolas put the other papers in the briefcase.

“I have been most pleased. Thank you for your time.” Legolas walked him out, past Gimli without a look. The security nodded to Gimli as he followed in their wake.

Gimli could hear more platitudes being exchanged in the foyer as he walked to the table. The box was still open, its contents shielded from the sun. As Gimli neared, his heart rose to his throat as he looked at a good sized solitaire diamond in what he would assume to be a platinum setting. It has to be at least four carats, Gimli thought looking its emerald shape though he made no move to touch it. It was an engagement ring.

He could hear Legolas but Gimli couldn’t stop staring at the diamond, wishing it wasn’t there. “When were you going to tell me?” He asked.

“Later tonight.”

“I see.” But he didn’t, he couldn’t. Feelings of anger and vicious betrayal blinded Gimli so completely, making him want to lash out at Legolas so he could feel a measure of what was ripping him in two.

Gimli took a step back from the table, away from the object that heralded the end of the best two months of his life. He no longer felt like sparing, it would be very unwise at the moment. There was nothing he could say to his lover right now that would be worth a damn in the morning. He had the presence of mind to understand that inescapable fact, remarkable considering the level of rage inside him. Legolas would marry Penny and they were done. Thranduil had won again.

“Where are you going?” Legolas asked with a muffled voice but as Gimli looked at him, the blonde was four feet away. His body had chosen a path but his mind had been so locked in, he couldn’t think.

“Upstairs. You wanted to go to Aranel’s tonight. I need to take a shower.” Gimli said that only thing he could think to say without letting go of the rage in his heart. Anything else would have come out in a scream.

He nodded to show Gimli he understood. It was a gesture, nothing more. The redhead watched him, unable to process why he felt so angry, so hurt. Legolas walked past him to take the ring off the table, probably putting it in the safe in the study. He had always planned to marry Penny, why was it such a shock? Gimli had never expected to feel like this when it happened, so lost when the moment finally arrived. As he mounted the endless stairs to the bedroom, Gimli found the strength to breathe through the pain of what he was losing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear.. I write way too much angsty stuff... Gimli's heart is breaking, Kili's heart is breaking...oy


	12. There is something broken about this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When anger arises, think of the consequences...
> 
> Confucius

He hated his life.

Legolas talked with an idiot from the private sector law about the constitutionality of Eminent Domain. The guy was an out of towner alum that Aranel was indulging because of his connections to the Napa Valley wineries. Aranel had been making noises tonight about wanting a vineyard, a nice pied á terre outside the city. For him to afford that kind of spread, it would be in the several millions. The lawyer had also let slip about Runa being a lovely available piece of ass and too bad she wasn’t given him a second look.

Legolas had switched to water after the ambulance chaser made that comment, wanting to be more sober to further this discussion. Hearing also that Runa was still living here but out tonight, gave Legolas ideas of paying her room a visit. She couldn’t be stupid enough to leave a road map of her intentions but it would be fantastic if she had. Penny had said that Runa was buying a new wardrobe on someone’s dime but no idea whose. All the different threads of shit were converging at once and Legolas strongly suspected he didn’t have the head space to figure it out in time.

Worse, Gimli hadn’t talked to him at all tonight though they had had arrived together to Aranel’s. Everything about him was stiff and unyielding since the courier from Bulgari left earlier. Legolas had had every intention of discussing the engagement with him later tonight, would have broken it to him easy if Bulgari had not been so overzealous. He wanted to tell Gimli that what he was doing was necessary but that he didn’t want things to change between them. Penny would be there publicly, the proper wife and mother of his future children. He and Gimli would go on as they had.

But even that sounded messed up in his head. Gimli wasn’t a mistress, would not want to be one if asked! Was this the problem that his father had faced? Were duty and obligation more important than being with a person who could humanize him? Was that why Thranduil had chased Merethen across the country after she left? The questions on his father’s motivations was if possible an endless tangle of bullshit that could make you crazy over the hypocritical spin that he was living. But Legolas knew that Gimli kept him grounded, helped him see himself as more than a Sindarin of Mirkwood and San Fran. He liked who he was with the gruff little bastard, that was why he kept going back. It wasn’t just the sex, something new. It was how he felt about himself, how Gimli saw him and how Legolas made Gimli feel too. A soul deep share that felt so good and frighteningly right.

Seeing Gimli leave with the auburn beauty earlier, it had made him feel like a failure. Legolas had found himself turning away from the sight of the two of them together, watching Gimli kiss each of her fingertips never breaking eye contact was complete torture. The green eye monster leapt on his back and had not left him. Legolas gutted out the last of the conversation he had been having with an alum from LA, his voice steady as he tried to keep up with the subject and not his lover who left with a woman. He had done it before, left with a woman but only to show her something in the hall or a piece of architecture in a side room. This felt different all together.

A heavy weight crept along Legolas’ neck, bowing his head in resignation at what a sellout he was. He had caved, in the end, he had no backbone and gave into Thranduil once again. The texts he had received earlier from Mirkwood had been short but congratulatory, since Thranduil had been notified of the new charge to his Black AMEX. His father had wanted him to give Penny his mother’s engagement ring, a Sindarin heirloom. Legolas had been most emphatic that he wanted a fresh start with his future wife, something that didn’t have unpleasant memories attached.

The resignation feeling got trampled by disgust in himself as he shifted his way towards the hall. What he was losing with Gimli hurt deep down inside, the ripped look on the young man’s face when he saw the ring had been a mule kick to the gut. Legolas had done that, hurt the young man in his life carelessly. He shouldn’t have gotten involved with Gimli, from the beginning he had known better but Legolas would do it again. The plans of his future were laid out before him, all obstacles kicked out of the way, save one. Only it wasn’t a future that what he wanted, what he wanted had left with a leggy auburn haired call girl.

Legolas had no idea of what he was doing as he made the hall without jostling too many of the revealers. The uncertainty and fear of what he might find galvanized him even as he threw up a little in his mouth. Now it wasn’t just his spineless craven life that left a sour taste in his throat. It was all of it, the life he wanted but couldn’t have, a life stuffed with miserable parties that left him feeling empty and alone. The drugs hadn’t swept away those hard feelings, they just made him tolerable to others.

He lengthened his stride as he passed the foyer, curving around the side of the stairs. The image in front him slammed him to the ground in an instant. Gimli had the lady pressed up against the side of the carved bannister, stroking her hip as he licked her cleavage. The woman had her head back on the railing, eyes closed as she twirled her fingers in his curls. She had even removed her heels to be closer to his height, how nice and considerate.

Heat suffused him as he watched the pair, but it was more for the man than the woman. Legolas knocked back the Makers in his glass on reflex instead of actual desire. She was a pro unless he was very wrong, as she angled her hips against him in a subtle gesture of arousal. Those callused fingers skimmed the black material of her dress, touching but not. The beauty moved a fishnet foot up and down the back of his leg in an effort to get him going. But Gimli was in no hurry, none at all. The slow perusal of the woman’s body, angered Legolas to a cellular level. As he watched, the little bastard ran an errant thumb under a covered breast, nothing more. It was like he was teasing her.

“Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to join in?” Gimli’s voice was rough with excitement but he never turned away from the woman as he used his teeth on the swell of her bosom.

Her gasp pulled Legolas forward, like she had jerked on his leash. She _was_ a beauty, he thought as he neared the pair against rational thinking. Natural without a lot of cosmetic changes. Gimli shot him a lazy smile before giving an open mouth kiss on her collarbone, making her gasp. Legolas brushed Gimli’s back, pushing him slightly. He didn’t want to be close to his mouth, Legolas knew he would start sucking on _his_ full lips. Instead he tended to the woman’s, hers might have been glossy when she arrived.

She circled an arm around his back, yanking him close as she fisted Gimli’s hair. Her breath held a hint of the wine she had drank at some point, but Legolas found himself unaffected. His cock just wasn’t interested by this female. It was the groans from the man beside him that finally got his blood rushing in all the right areas, making him moan in return.

He felt more than saw, Gimli pull the front hem of her dress up. His companion didn’t seem care who could walk by and see them with a woman’s dress hiked up to her waist. Legolas tried to help by palming an ass cheek under her dress to keep her level as her breath hitched into a gasp. He felt her smile against his lips but didn’t care really. Gimli started with his teeth on her skin, making Legolas clinch her bottom a little too forcefully when he saw. He knew that scraping feeling, knew how it felt on his skin when Gimli did it. Legolas growled low as he released her buttock to slide his fingers forward past her thong.

The flesh of her pussy was smooth from a recent waxing, only the barest hint of stubble at the inner lip. Legolas didn’t care since he wasn’t going to be using her that way. Her folds were slick with arousal, swelling even as he continued to skim down her slit. Two men at once or public sex must be a fantasy, most women in his experience didn’t get so excited so quickly. He didn’t think what they were doing was all that special.

His fingers swept past the strip of material only to encounter Gimli’s brusque caress from the front as he stroked her clit. He stilled for a moment, unsure. Grazing his thumb across her perineum, Legolas found his momentum again as he buried two fingers deep inside her wet cunt. The hard squeeze around his digits as she groaned made him wish he could risk touching the man beside him. To kiss him, something! The heaviness in his loins was like a high pressure cooker ready to rupture at the first contact.

She cried in high pitched ecstasy, hips revolving against the hands between her legs. Her convulsing pussy clenched his fingers as he rubbed her G spot to further her orgasm. It was an out of body feeling he had, seeing a beautiful woman beside him flushed with her bursting climax. His cock was harder than the wood behind them but it wasn’t for her. He didn’t want her. Breathing through his nose, he tried desperately to keep himself aware as he kissed along the side of her exposed neck. Her head back on the staircase, she keened one last time before her body shutdown from the rush.

Legolas grasped her breast, avoiding the nipple entirely. He had to grab something or he would be turning to Gimli in his aroused state. He knew that if his lover touched him now even a nudge, Legolas would wrestle him to ground to have him right here and now. Onlookers bedamned, Gimli put him in this position on purpose. His control was so whisper thin, there was no guarantee it existed. The woman gasped still, breathing hard through her mouth as the endorphins kicked in for that nice after sex feel. Gimli was beside him, unmoving. Both of them holding the woman was the only thing keeping her vertical.

A clapping noise behind, had Legolas whipping his head around to stare at the people watching in the hall. Aranel still clapped. “Quite a show, you two. Quite the show. But I do have more discreet areas available.”

The placid drone of the vain dickhead made his heckles rise but Gimli got to him first. “Fuck discreet.”  

His voice was gravelly like he had eaten every rock on a country road, but it made the head of Legolas’ dick tingle. The crunching shock of that tone could punch him into an orgasm all on it’s own. Slowly, Legolas withdrew his fingers as the woman whimpered at the loss. He deftly caught her hand before it got past his hip. You aren’t the one I want, pretty girl, he thought. Her eyes were black as the pupils dominated the field. Legolas smiled at her, whispering a ‘thank you’ by her ear as he kissed her under her jaw. Gimli straightened her dress in hopeless attempt at modesty. The woman reached for Legolas, trying to yank him back but he was already leaving. Mentally, he had left the building.

Aranel put a hand on his chest to stop him from walking past. The crowds had dispersed when it was obvious there would be nothing else. “So, is that what Penny gets to look forward too? A double team? You and your mentee seem very coordinated.”

He could feel Gimli at his back, his anger coming in waves. “Good night, Aranel.”

Legolas gave Aranel a bland smile as he left. He had no answers still but it didn’t matter, he had to get the fuck out. His hand smelled like raw coochie, pissing him off to no end. His dick wasn’t under control, harder than a brick with a pulse like a second heartbeat. Now, his lover was more volatile than he was for an interesting change of pace.

“What the fuck was that!” Legolas hissed at the young man behind him as soon as the door closed.

Gimli waited until they were on the sidewalk before he answered. “How did you like seeing me with that woman?”

“I didn’t!” Legolas sneered as he continued to walk to where his car was parked on the next block.

“When how do you think it will be for me? Knowing you have a wife!” Gimli deadpanned a step behind him.

Legolas stopped in his tracks, stuttering. “It won’t.. won’t be like..”

“It won’t be like that?! Really?” Gimli finished for him, his rage coming to the surface. “What do you think it will be like? You having your Thursday night fuck while your wife plays bridge at Aranel’s house with _his_ wife?”

Legolas started walking again, the Audi was in sight. He disengaged the locks. “Nothing will change between us!” He almost screamed, seeing Gimli’s disgusted look as he walked to the car ahead of him.

“It already has. You need to figure out your daddy shit, Leg. If you want this marriage or he does.”Gimli grabbed his bag out the back seat. ”I’ll take a cab back to school.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to a family emergency that became a family catastrophe, I will be updating sporadically... Not sure about when I will be able to write and edit but I will make every effort as I am committed to finishing what I start... my OCD will have it no other way. :o) 
> 
> I want to thank all how are reading my work.... It has keep me saner than I should be lol.


	13. The Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons  
> Finally content with a past I regret  
> I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness  
> For once I'm at peace with myself  
> I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long  
> I'm movin' on
> 
> ~ Rascal Flatts - Movin' On ~

Legolas had forgone the formality of an office, preferring to utilize the study downstairs of Sindarin House. Mirkwood had offices in the Financial district uptown but he found that he didn’t want to be there. Oh he had a lovely office with a wonderfully tasteful view of the smog choked city outside the tinted windows. There were two receptionists on staff to offer assistance should he or his father pop in for a meeting or a business deal. There were analysts and their assistants there too scurrying to help further Mirkwood interests and increase the bottom line.  Legolas was Mr. Sindarin at that office, and he hated it.

Greenleaf Construction was still tethered to that odious space, though one of the receptionists had begun to forward all the paper mail by office courier in the afternoons. It wasn’t as bleak as one might assume. His site managers knew where to find him and what numbers to call. Reports came in by email, read every morning. It was amazing how little human interaction one needed in a business environment these days. Considering the prices for office space in San Francisco now, his father should be happy that he required so little.

But he was lonely.

Before Gimli had come into his life, he was high all the time. If he saw people or not, it was all good. Stoned every waking moment and happy that way, it helped soften the serrated edges of his life. Now, Legolas found he had lost his taste for the disconnected feeling a good high would bring. He didn’t want to forget his feelings that had crawled out of the shadows now, not this time. Those same feelings had been coaxed out hiding by a redhead Durinson from Erebor instead of his gorgeous fiancé. He wanted every one of them to be live and in living color.

As he worked at his desk, his phone blipped with an incoming text. A selfie of Penny and two kids at the hospital went full screen on his phone, making him smile. Her engagement ring, the large diamond was easy to spot. He had asked her to marry him at dinner on Wednesday. It had been impromptu, Legolas feeling almost cranky due to the void his life that Gimli had left. Penny had been properly awed, crying in gentle heaves to the applause at the Dario’s restaurant.

Gimli had not called all week since he had walked away last Saturday, nor responded to the millions of texts, calls or emails that Legolas had left. The silence and by extension the cold shoulder was one of the reason, he had proposed. Gimli knew though, about the proposal as well as the acceptance. A blast email had gone to so many people, Legolas had gotten congratulatory texts and emails all night. But nothing from Gimli and it was Friday. He hadn’t know what to expect from the redhead but the nothingness was the worst.

Looking out the window at the falling snow, Legolas had thought to try shooting again today. Yesterday, he had picked up a bow for the first time in months but the awful sensation of dread was missing. The next hour worked his muscles pleasantly. Writing out a note to search for a decent sporting goods store on the long list that needed attending already, Legolas fired off a reply to Penny. It was short and sweet, with a reminder about going to a movie tomorrow night. Legolas had gone to the opera with her before but she had yet to go to a movie with him. The compromise had been funny in that she wouldn’t want to watch horror but a chick flick would get on her nerves.

As he put down the phone, a deep bell bounced through the house like it was ringing people to mass but also signaling a visitor at the door. Thranduil had it installed with all the air of a pompous ass that he was. Thoughts of his father were another reminder that he wanted it changed. If he was to live here, it would be his home. Leaving the confines of his work, Legolas headed for the front door to try and be polite to a visitor.

He opened his door but anything he might have said died right then and there. Gimli bundled in a thick coat and jeans, stood on the snowy stoop holding a silver wrapped gift with a big poofy bow. His expression was closed, neither angry nor happy. Legolas hurt at the sight of him, but seeing the gift broke his heart completely. Its over now, he realized as he gestured for him to come inside. They walked into the front parlor in profound silence.

“I can’t stay.” He began, handing Legolas the gift.

Legolas took the box with all the excitement of being handed a live porcupine, nodding quietly. Slowly, as if it might attack, he put it on a side table as he turned back to the shorter man as he took off his gloves. Gimli’s face was pale beneath his scruffy beard, with dark circles under his eyes. There was melting snow in his hair, on his coat but he didn’t bother to brush it off or make a mess. He was the most wonderful sight Legolas had ever seen.

“I hope you and Penny will be very happy together.” He meant it, Legolas could tell but it was good bye at the same time.

“Thank you. It means a lot coming from you. I want to thank you for coming all the way out here, it wasn’t necessary.” This formal shit was wearing thin, Legolas was beginning to hate every minute of it. All he could think of was would Gimli smell like winter and snow if he hugged him?

“I don’t want there to be bad feelings between us. There is enough already between our families, there should be …. Hope.. that.” Gimli lowered is head as his hands played tug o’ war with his gloves.

“Peace? You have it, whatever you want.” Legolas could feel his hands fisting at his sides as he fought with himself not to reach for man in front of him.

“I’m sorry… I thought…I could do this..” Gimli rushed by him, heading for the door but Legolas’ long stride stopped him, pushing him against the wall just shy of the foyer.

“Don’t! Please, gods don’t leave!” Legolas pinned him the wall, pleading in his ear as his fingers curled with Gimli’s.

Kissing his chilled neck, Legolas let go slowly, running his down the shorter man’s arms that were braced against the wall before them. Gimli was faster, whipping around to mash his lips against Legolas’. It was fire and ice, as warmth and cold met in a complete tangle of cravings. They barely made it to the couch as Gimli tore open Legolas’ button down shirt to lick at his nipples as the blond pulled a condom from under the seat cushion. They had long ago hidden rubbers all over the house so that sex wasn’t solely in the bedroom.

The first round was hard and quick, all hands and tongues that stroked the bonfire of their passion. But afterwards with the embers of their fierce desire still warm, had them cuddling on the ruined couch, touching and kissing hello like the separated lovers that they were. Neither mentioned the gift that brought Gimli to Sindarin house, or the reason for the gift.

The second round, they made it to the bedroom, bouncing on the springy mattress with glee before turning to the other as the need came upon them quickly. Once wasn’t enough, a second round was a tease as screams of pleasure echoed through the large house louder than Thranduil’s accursed door bell. As sun set on the city by the bay, the two men’s needing lusts cooled again until the other found the strength for a third round.

“Don’t marry her, Leg.. please!” His voice broke as the tears splashed them both as he snuggled into Legolas’ neck.

“I have to marry sometime, start a family. Penny is a good caring person.” Legolas replied quietly as he nuzzled a fuzzy cheek. “You will graduate and go home, start a life. One day, my exile will end so that I might see you again. Even at a distance.”

“Thranduil.” Gimli snarled as his fingers dug into the strong pale shoulders. Angry all over again at a fate they couldn’t control. “Would you let your children near that monster?”

“Shhhh, not tonight. It’s done.”Legolas banded his lost lover in a tight embrace. “I don’t want anyone else here with us.”

Until sunrise, Legolas gave Gimli everything he couldn’t say out loud, every emotion that he had locked away in his foolish heart. Each gasp, groan, plea was a sign of their connection, one to the other. They would stop for a breath, only to start again because of a look. For once there were no words in those hours, only an endless kiss that neither would break.

************************

Gimli walked down to the kitchen, carbing up for the next round of chase the chicken was paramount on his mind. He didn’t let himself dwell on the whys or hows of last night sexual abandon, he couldn’t and remain sane. The sun was out this morning almost blinding him, melting yesterday’s snow into sludge. Adjusting the thick towel around his waist, he flipped open the subzero to get an idea of what to make. Plenty of eggs, hmmm. Definitely. Leggy loved his eggs but Gimli wanted pancakes too. Grabbing the carton out, he closed the door to come face to face with the one person he didn’t want to see this morning.

“Who are you?” She asked very calmly but Gimli could see her clinching her cell with a white knuckle grip. “Where’s Legolas?”

Gimli stood there, frozen. Thoughts flew out of his head as her gray green eyes grew wider and wider. Especially since he was only wearing a sea foam green towel and a smile. The same color of towels that were only in Legolas’ water themed bathroom.

“uh..Hi?” Gimli started, really unsure of what to say. How had she gotten inside the house? “I’m Gimli..I’m a Sigma.”

Geez, did he offer her his hand in greeting? Was that the right thing? Completely unsure of what the standard protocol was for officially meeting your lover’s fiancé, he tried to make the best of it. She relaxed by degrees, trying to smile.

“I have heard your name from others. Ahh..its nice to put a face to the name!” Penny let go of the death grip she had on her iphone, releasing it on the bar. Her big hulking rock of an engagement ring flashed in the morning sunlight as it streamed through the windows.

Her smile gained some wattage, making his feel like less of a grimace. “I would ..like to offer my..”

Whatever he was going to say got cut off by Legolas calling from the landing before he came down the stairs. “Hey! Sexy shooooorrrrt man!.. Your phone is….ohh.. SHIT!” Legolas made it to the bottom of the butler’s stairs before he had said something really embarrassing. But since he was using a matching towel to Gimli’s to dry his hair, it was obvious that he had just gotten out of the shower too.

All three of them stood looking at each other for a minute, trying to figure out what to say. Legolas stood in a pair of hunter green silk boxers, at the least the fly was buttoned. There had been a fun morning weeks ago when Gimli had chased him around the house with Legolas’ cock and balls hanging out of his undies. The silence stretched as Gimli kept a firm grip on his own towel, looking awkwardly around the room. Penny, who was by far the most dressed, cleared her throat before she let a smile ease across her face.

Holding up a bag, she intoned. “I brought bagels and lox and fruit but had I known you had company, I would have brought more. I apologize for not calling first, I didn’t realize. If you will allow me, I can could whip up a quiche or a frittata?”

Gimli’s eyes bugged out of his head, not comprehending for a minute. Legolas’ fiancé had just walked in finding him in a towel and Legolas’ junk barely covered. Penny had to know what they were doing together. Mahal’s forge if she walked upstairs and saw the shit covered condoms and lube there were no question! Now she was offering to cook breakfast for them all like there was no issues flopping around the room!

“Gimli, your phone is bouncing like a jumping bean.” Legolas’ hadn’t stopped staring at his fiancé, like she was an unusual breed of tropical fish in a tank. “You might want to find out who it is.”

“Oh! Well.. I better… yeah.” Feeling badly for abandoning him to his woman, Gimli beat a hasty retreat up the stairs.

***************

Penny cracked the eggs in one-handed like most professional chefs can do, dropping the yolks and slimy whites into a bowl that he gave her. Taking a seat on the tall bar chairs, Legolas studied her quietly as she worked. She had smiled at him in her quiet way that unnerved him completely in the beginning, sparking his irrational hatred. Now, he just wondered what gears were turning behind that smile.

“Eggs for me only please. If you are feeling inventive, Gimli would like pancakes.” He didn’t like what he was doing but it helped to see how she would react to this situation of his hand in the cookie jar.

“Fruit crepes would be better. Less calories. He won’t keep that lean figure long on a carb diet.” Her smile grew as she took a second bowl from the cabinet along with the flour tin. My gods, she is going to bake him crepes! Legolas was totally floored.

“Penny..” She cut him off clean.

“I’m so glad you didn’t resort to the usual tripe. ‘It isn’t what this looks like’ when the whole time its exactly what it looks like.” She stole a look at him as she measured out the ingredients. “I had wondered why you never tried to have sex with me, even from the first. Now I know.”

“Please don’t be angry.” Legolas started, beseechingly. “I really have no idea what to say.”

“I’m not angry.” Penny tucked a long dish cloth into her jeans as she removed her rings, putting them to the side. Her eyes followed him as he watched her movements. “More curious now after you asked me Wednesday to marry you when clearly you prefer that young man. Is it because of Thranduil?”

She continued to gather pans for cooking, putting a dishtowel over the dough in the bowl as she gathered utensils for the actual frying. Penny seemed content almost, Legolas thought as she moved with ease in his kitchen. He had not even bothered to back upstairs to dress, not feeling comfortable with her in the house but also to give Gimli privacy in his phone call. The wood was cold through the silk of his boxers.

“Yes, he wants me to have kids.” Legolas looked down at the placemats with his expression turning bitter. “We are just chess pieces to him.”

“Of course, he wants grandchildren. He wants to leave his mark on the next generation while he has the youth to make it permanent.” Efficiently, she began to whisk the eggs into a frothy dream as he watched knowing she was right. “Legolas, it is accepted amongst our peers that affairs happen. Stop beating yourself up.”

Legolas’ head snapped up as he glared at her. “Gimli isn’t an affair. I don’t have plans of.. well..It was rather sudden. The proposal. He and I fought and…”

“No one has plans to carry on like that, but it does happen.” Penny sighed quietly, her hands stilling. “I just want to know do you still want to marry me?”

“Penny! You caught me with another man. How can you ask me that question?! Why would you still want to marry _me_?” Legolas knew that he was raising his voice at her but her questions were shocking. She acted like the whole thing was ok!

“Because Im twenty eight years old and I am on the shelf if the old Victorian expression is correct. This would be my last chance at an advantageous match here in San Fran. My family has already said I will be shipped off to Seattle if this fell through.” She didn’t raise her voice back at him, merely dropped that bomb in a polite tone. “You know how the rules apply here. I want children, Legolas. I can’t have them without a marriage according to the conditions of my trust fund. And if you are seeing men, I don’t have to worry about them shopping in my closet! Do you know that the hookers that Aranel brings to the house stole dresses from his wife!”

“You know about the hookers?” Legolas asked weakly, sitting back in the chair. Oh Valar, what else did she know?

“Of course! I know that Aranel’s wife prefers gang members two at a time during those little parties. What?” She asked, seeing his shocked expression. “Yes, she goes down to a seedy little hotel at the port for the night. I think she takes money from a few as a joke!”

Legolas started sputtering. “I thought she shopped or something. Went to a play or something! How do you know?”

Penny’s musical laughter ran in the open kitchen. “Dear, you have been gone too long! I found a hotel receipt in her floorboard when we went shopping once. One of the nurses at the children’s hospital volunteers at a free clinic near the port. Aranel’s wife has been treated there twice for crabs plus the nurse told me about the rumors about her down there. Its not like she could go to her regular doctor for something like that!”

Legolas digested her nuggets of gossip as she continued to cook breakfast. There were bananas sliced in a dish along with blackberries and fresh strawberry preserves for Gimli’s crepes.   Penny’s eyes were alight with humor of how little he knew the people around him.

“What do the Elven family get out of this? You said they will ship you off if the marriage falls through. Don’t you want to be happy? In love?” These were questions that had started to surface as the two of them seemed to be having a very frank discussion.

“The Elvens of Sausalito want to be able to use Sindarin contacts, have kinship to Sindarin children. I will be happy Legolas and yes, I will love you. Maybe not the romantic love like in the movies but I don’t like being used. I don’t! Any children we have will not be treated that way because I know you want to go home to New Hampshire!” Her arguments were convincing as she poured the egg mixture into the hot pan. “Our children won’t grow up here, won’t grow up the way we did. They will live in your forests like Tarzan!”

“Thranduil will not be any different, I assure you! Plus, I’m not attracted to you, Penny.” Legolas told her quietly now as he looked to the stairs. “You might find someone you love that will be better equipped to give you the life you deserve.”

“Legolas, I don’t like sex. There! I just told you the most personal darkest secret in my armory. I hate that icky, unclean feeling afterwards. I have orgasms but really I have more fun by myself.” She gave a shudder. “Sweaty bodies pressed against you…ew..”

“You haven’t found the right person.” The idea formed in his head that he was protesting too hard because this marvelous woman was the absolute perfect wife for him!

“Oh please. I have had sex with men. I have had sex with women, I have had sex with men and women. I lived in Paris for Valar’s sakes. I can say, I do not like it!” Penny popped a berry in her mouth with a smile as she handed him part of a banana.

“If you don’t like sex, how were you going to have kids?” Legolas finally latched on a thread of rational thought before it spun out of control entirely, eating the half banana .

“I thought we would get married. Have a child or two immediately. Then you would find a mistress and life would go on. I would raise the children and so forth. There _is_ IVF, so sex isn’t completely necessary!” Penny scooped the eggs out of the pan into a casserole dish to put in the microwave to keep warm before she started the crepes. “Please name me one woman that would have walked in here this morning and been ok with seeing you and Gimli post coitus? If you can, I will give you back your engagement ring and say good luck.”

Legolas looked at her with a mean expression because he knew she was right. No woman would have been ok with it. There would have been tears, and snot plus more drama than an Italian opera, the wedding would have been cancelled and the rumor mill would have been churning like crazy. But Penny had been calm, collected and very nice about the whole thing. He had forgotten how reasonable she was as well as persuasive.

“I don’t know how Gimli will take to this. Honestly, he is important to me.” Legolas watched her reaction carefully to see what she would say.

“As he should be, but he is young, please remember that. He might find someone else down the road. If you want to marry him later, that’s fine! We will have a codicil written in the pre-nup that we will individually assess our marriage every five years, then discuss it’s viability. Naturally, in a case of extreme emergency such as a terminal illness, it will be evaluated.” Penny put plates out in front of him on the mats. Maybe he should invite her to contract negotiations. She was very good.

“I won’t lock you down, Legolas. I can’t, marriage should never be such a confinement! But I ask that you remember one thing, the old boy’s club won’t trust you if they think you are gay.” Her face was sad as tears welled up at the unflinching hypocrisy of their peers.

They were trapped in the same kind of prison, the two of them. Legolas knew this better than she. A very gilded cage were the rules were absolute. They had more in common with the inmates in the penal system than a man off the streets. Their cells might not have bars in the traditional sense but it was fear that kept them in line. There were no guard towers or high brick walls that held you back but everyone knew where the line was and what happened when you crossed it. Not unlike a person who had spent most of their life incarcerated, once they are on the outside they don’t know how to survive. They spent their remaining years in a futile attempt to get back to what they knew, to the amusement of those behind the glass wall.

Legolas got out of the chair, walking around the island. He poured a glass of orange juice as he mulled over what he wanted to say next. Penny moved to him, handing him a bagel. Legolas pulled her into his arms to hold her close to him, hoping that this wasn’t all a dream. As long as Thranduil never knew, his life would be there for him every day. It almost made him religious that he could be so lucky.

If she was for real with he and Gimli together and if it was something she could live with, it would be the answer to all their prayers. Who knew someone really until their back was against a wall? Their character would always shine through for better or worse and in this case for the better. Penny smiled at him through her tears as he kissed her cheeks. She was the most astonishing person he had met in his life, to give him this wondrous gift.

Whatever he would have said was cut off abruptly by the loudest scream. A deep bellow of rage shook the house, coming from the upstairs. Legolas and Penny both froze as the yelling reached a crescendo and morphed into a howl of anguish unlike any Legolas had ever heard.

_Gimli_

Legolas took the stairs two at time as he raced to his bedroom. His was mind was centered on getting to Gimli to stop whatever was causing him to yell like his world was ending. It was pain, the kind that would make a person lose their mind. Legolas grabbed the door jam to keep from sliding down the hall, blasting into his room to find Gimli rocking back and forth on the floor half dressed. He looked up as Legolas went to his knees before him, tears and misery twisted his face.

“What’s happened?!” Legolas clutched the smaller man in his arms rocking him with as he feared the worse.

“Frerin! Thrain..dead..” Gimli gasped a breath as he continued. “Oh Mahal! Their bones were dumped at Erebor! Smaug…killed them!”

“Oh Gimli!” Legolas kissed the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

Legolas knew how close all Durins Folk were to the other. With the confirmed death of Thrain and now the unexpected death of Frerin, Thorin would go to war. It was what Smaug had been waiting to achieve, the complete annihilation of Durinsons. Thranduil had been content to let it happen too, secure in the knowledge that he could repel invaders. Legolas could feel the tears in his own eyes as Gimli’s heartache pulled him down into the vortex of desolation too. It would be hard for Gimli to stay away but he would have too. The Durin’s blood ran in his veins as well. Legolas wouldn’t risk his life, not for a thousand Mirkwoods or a million Erebors.

A soft click on the hardwoods had Legolas reaching for a knife he didn’t have. The unconscious thought of protecting Gimli as he lay defenseless in his arms, made Legolas curse when he realized it was Penny. The poor woman stood in the door, torn by the sounds of agony and despair. She slipped out of her shoes, padding quietly across the floor until she reached the other side of crying man.

She didn’t look at Legolas, never asked his permission. Penny simply knelt on the floor, wrapping her long arms around Gimli too, having heard the horrible news from the hall. The song she sang was quiet, a melody of notes more than verses but it called to the men in a way most profound. The three clinched each other tightly as Penny continued her lament, Gimli clutching Legolas in a death grip but laying his head against hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnddd C'est Fini.. Legolas' & Gimli's story merges with Part 5, The Road Goes Ever On.. The disturbing epilogue is next to tie up the ending...
> 
> I want to thank everyone who has read this and enjoyed it.. It brought me way out of my normal realm of writing but I think that is a good thing...


	14. The Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God & the Devil are fighting there, & the battlefield is the heart of man.
> 
> ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky ~

Colorado is a cold state, don’t kid yourself. Denver isn’t called the Mile High City because everything else was taken. But the higher elevation and bitterly cold winters play havoc with an old man’s bones, tightening them painfully as the temperature slides into single digits then the negatives. The views were incredible if you had the money to pay for them, fortunately money wasn’t an issue for owner of Isenguard. The indigenous peoples called this area Orthanc or mountain of fangs. Rather appros for the man who was now in residence.

Another cold day in hell, Saruman thought as he snuggled deeper into the Sherpa lined comforter. The blazing fire in the large stone hearth warmed the room for a normal person but not for the aged man shivering as he remembered warmer days and hotter nights closer to the equator. But that was before.. a long time before he had started this path and found himself jailed in Boulder.

Mauhur shifted into the room with all the grace of hippo, his height and bulk making him lumber with the same deliberate slowness. He was serving as an assistant until Grima’s work was done in Texas but who knew when that would be. Mauhur was capable in a sluggishly annoying way, taking more time than Grima ever thought about to finish simple tasks. Even his smell could be offensive.

“What?” Saruman snapped, finally gaining a measure of warmth in his chilled frame.

“Sir, your guests have come.” Mauhur didn’t look at him but stared at the floor while he spoke. It was another habit that peeved the old man to no end.

“Fine! Make sure my Jacuzzi is heating.” Saruman groused as he pushed his blanket away. Smoothing down his cable knit over his thick winter white wool pants, he strode from his favorite sitting room.

Brushing his long while hair away from his face, Saruman walked into his study to take a seat behind the desk. Mauhur had known better to allow anyone into this room before him, his guests would be standing out in the foyer until they were summoned. Proprieties had to be observed when dealing with underlings else they began to have ideas far above their station. These two particular subordinates had been _very_ insubordinate.

Saruman fought back a tired sigh as he noticed the stuffed hammerheads along one wall. Old Sharkey they had called him once in his glory years, one of the best hunters in the Caribbean. He had made trips down every spring, losing himself in the lazy feel of sex and adrenaline on those white sandy shores.  He had loved too, the feel of the waves, the fight of the predators, savoring their eventual defeat. Long years ago, before the Istari Group, before S.A.U.R.O.N’s rising. Long times before it all. Angry at the turn of this maudlin thoughts, the old man growled at the well dressed couple who entered.

The man was the leader of the two, tall over six feet but still shorter than Old Sharkey. He was handsome in a classical way, good skin with a fit toned body layered in very expensive clothes. The product of good breeding but not inbreeding as well as a healthy childhood. A woman stood beside him but a step behind, as if she deferred to him but not by choice. She would be a problem if her expression was any indication. An overindulged beauty with the same thick dark hair and captivating hazel eyes as the man beside her. She dared to wear five inch heels in an icy city for no other reason so that the neither of them would have the advantage of height. Smart but still young with her head in the wrong place.

“Well?” Saruman grated as the servant brought tea. The couple looked at the service then at the chairs in expectation.

“I got the Durinson kid into Sigma as you requested. Sir.” The ‘sir’ was tacked on for token respect but the sneer was for not being allowed to take a chair before the desk.

“Yes, that and your money laundering have been the only things that you have done right. Do you have the reports?” This is going to take longer than I thought, the Saruman thought as the man handed him a flash drive. “Thank you. Now, explain yourself about the Sindarin brat. He is marrying your cousin but you are not satisfied with that?”

Aranel replied in frustration. “She has no interest in Sindarin companies or any of it. She just wants kids and helping other kids! That is why Runa would be a much better choice…”

“Yes, I would agree, if he was still self-medicating. But now that he is awake and on the wagon so to speak, Legolas would notice a young ambitious woman working deals behind the scenes. You brought your queen out too soon, Mr. Elven. Or too late as it were. But Runa, you should have been able to engage his interest nevertheless.”

“I have no excuse, sir. “ Runa bowed her head in false contrition but at least she tried. “As I understand it, since he took on a mentee, he has been most engaged.”

“A mentee? Who?” Saruman’s attention snapped to the computer screen with an eye wreathed in flames in the center of the monitor. It was alive.

“Gimli Durinson. It started just after the New Year.” Aranel sniffed in distain. “Honestly, I do not know why you wanted him in Sigma so badly. He barely makes the cut.”

“Erebor Ironworks has a new material that they are developing which will replace Titanium in about two years and possibly Kevlar. The company isn’t public so how do you take over a private company, Aranel?” Saruman quizzed the annoyingly pompous man as he began typing on the screen.

“The family.” He said with disgust, not seeing what the use of the Durinson was until now.

“Exactly. Get them young, train them right and they are yours for life. He’s eighteen. A very impressionable age, would have been a perfect inside man if our current operatives in New Hampshire happen to fail. But he shouldn’t be associating with Legolas that way, though. They are supposed to be at each other’s throats trying to kill each other. In turn it would have pushed Legolas into a position more easily to control.” Saruman stared at the green query responses as they lined the inky blackness in a mode that would remind any geek of MS/DOS. “Interesting.”

“What? What does Lord Sauron say?” Aranel walked forward to have a look at the monitor too but was stopped by the older man’s sharp gaze. A tall well built woman in leather walked into the room to take a seat on the sofa without an invitation.

“It seems this fail isn’t entirely your faults.” Saruman snorted at a pic of a very naked Gimli sucking a cock that he assumed was Legolas’ since S.A.U.R.O.N had lifted it from the Sindarin’s cellphone. “Runa, you will be needed in Seattle. The Swan family of Belefalas Shipping have two marriageable sons that you should make your next priority.”

Aranel started to speak only to cut off by an abrupt ‘Get the Fuck Out’ by a frustrated old man. The woman on the sofa gave Aranel a very toothy smile as he passed her very quickly. It seems Mr. Aranel Elven still feared her even now after all these years. Mauhur opened the door for them quietly. Runa smirked at her cousin as she began to turn but Saruman called her back.

“Runa. I would like you to service Mauhur with your mouth. You need a lesson in humility and performing fellatio to a servant is acceptable.” He almost laughed at her shocked look of outrage. “In the other room, Mauhur if you please.”

The great hulk of the man bowed low to his boss as he led them from the room. Aranel knew better than to say anything, having been on the receiving end of Grima and the new arrival several times due to his occasional disobedience. Get them young, train them early, Saruman thought as he smirked. At some point, there the two of them would have to advance or be discarded. Runa was more of a viable possibility for better assignments than Aranel who was lazy. They had been funneling money to him for three years with very lovely returns. But his hooker habit called unwanted attention and would at some point be a problem.

But Runa had a sparkling mind behind that beautiful face, worth every penny of their investment. Her time with Katya in Paris had been very productive despite Katya’s bitching about ‘that town’ as she called it. The Swan Family needed watching since they were branching into Europe now, impeding the Basque movement. A young girlfriend for one of the Imrahil’s boys would be perfect or a mistress for the married oldest son.

So many possibilities…..

“Did you enjoy that, my dear Yazna?” Saruman asked the reclining guest who had all of the poise of a coiled snake.

Standing six feet tall in her stockings, she had all of the heavy bone structure that had been promised to her younger brother but hadn’t quite made it. It was frightening how much like her father Azog she looked, right down to the pale skin and hair. Those eyes though, they had been what set her apart and made her unfortunately memorable to the all the wrong people. Like glittering diamonds, the iris were pale blue like her father’s but had the dark outer ring of her mother’s Turkish origins. Smaug had called Yazna his Turkish Delight during her early teen years when she belonged to him. Saruman didn’t really didn’t want to think about what that phrase had meant to the Red Dragon.

“I would have enjoyed dear Runa on her knees, licking my cunt. Maybe after she is finished with Mauhur?” The leer that played on her lips was cold, reminding Saruman of a pale grinning python just before it crushed its dinner.

The old man shook his head, he still called the shots for the time being. “No, she might consider it a reward to service you. I wanted her punished.” And in one piece, Saruman thought with disgruntled shake. Like her father, Yazna had vicious sexual tastes.

“Oh, I don’t know. I am sure I can make it seem as if it were a punishment.” Rubbing a hand up her leather clad thighs, the smirk never slipped as her mind wondered in its poisonous pursuits.

Leaning back in his chair, he sought to engage her in the present time. “I have a job for you. Grima sends word that Threodred is becoming a problem and needs taking care of within the next year. With the nephew graduating the Citadel and joining the Army, that will give Grima the extra time he needs to take hold of things in Texas.”

A gusting sigh emanated from the sofa as Yazna unfolded herself to stand before him. Soothing down the black leather vest, she gave him a sharp look as she towered over the large ornate desk. His head was already back on the seat, no dominance eye contact issue for him. Although, if Yazna felt challenged, she had no problem breaking someone in half just for the giggle factor.

“What is required?” The tone was bored but Saruman knew her better than that. She loved to kill, the longer the hunt the better.

“You will need dark hair and blue contacts. Blonds are a dime a dozen there, with your pale skin, dark hair will be a startling contrast. The plastic surgery has thinned down your jawline but you are curvy in the right areas.” Saruman continued to look over her body with a critical eye. “I think you could pass for an ingénue twenty four if you tone down the smile. Too much knowledge in that smile, my dear.”

She nodded her head to show she understood, the toothy grin back in place. Yazna was the scary thing that went bump in the night and bit you when you weren’t looking. Whatever she might have been before becoming Smaug’s bedmate at such a very tender age was dead and buried. She was a weapon that just needed a direction.

Gods help the people of Riddermark County, Texas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the creepy ending is out ! lol... I want to thank everyone who has read, commented and left kudos for this work. Gimli and Leg with Penny in tow will be showing up in The Road Goes Ever On..Their story isn't done. Runa is off to Seattle and Aranel is floundering... 
> 
> Yazna is Yazneg ,a hunter Orc who was after Thorin Oakenshield in the Hidden Valley before they reached Imladris. I changed the name and flipped the gender to help along Part 7 since she is going to be bothering the Rohirrium.
> 
> Mauhur was one of the Uruk hai that Saruman created but died at the hands of the Rohirrim near Fangorn Forest. He might be accompanying Yazna..hehehehehe..

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading ! All reviews are read with great interest, so don't be shy. 
> 
> There are many non canon characters in this story taken from Tolien's Gateway's listing for Elves in adaptations.
> 
> I own none of this... My idea puppies are off the leash and peeing all over Middle earth!


End file.
